Playing Charades
by Disco Inferno1
Summary: Stephanie McMahon is receiving death threats that seem to be an inside job. Therese Blair is hired to protect her and must pose as Stephanie’s college friend. Easy? Not when they can't stand each other. HBKSteph & Kevin NashOC -COMPLETE-
1. Letters and Plans

**_Playing Charades_**by Disco Inferno1

Summary: Stephanie McMahon is receiving death threats that seem to be an inside job.  Therese Blair is hired to protect her while the culprit is being weeded out.  Therese must pose as Stephanie's college friend to get on the inside without suspicion.  Easy?  Only in Stephanie's and Therese's dreams, especially when they can't stand each other and Shawn Michaels decides to show up and play matchmaker, dragging Kevin Nash into the fray.

Rating: PG-13 for the usual warnings for WWE wrestling—mild swearing, in-ring/arena violence, and sexual situations.

Disclaimer:  I do not in any way lay claim to any name or character in the WWE.  This is not-for-profit fiction.  The only profit received is pure entertainment.  Basically, what you see on television is what you get.  Poetic license has been taken with character personas, along with television canon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**_Chapter I:  Letters and Plans_**

Stephanie McMahon's hands trembled as she folded the stark white paper and stuffed it back into the matching envelope.  She turned it over and placed it on the desk, staring at her name in bold type on the front.  The woman felt that if she stared hard enough, her mind would sort everything out.  She licked her parched lips that had suddenly gone dry in effort to moisten them.  Her dark blue eyes began to focus on the emblem in the upper right-hand corner of the envelope.  The WWE logo only returned her gaze instead of spewing forth the answers she wanted.  Her slender fingers turned the envelope over again but the back was still immaculately white.

A small startled cry escaped from her lips as someone burst through her door.  She tore her eyes from the envelope to see her brother striding across the room with a smile on his face.  When her mind finally registered that it was Shane in her office, she nervously glanced around looking for a place to hide the paper.  She finally shoved it under a pile of folders on the other side of her desk from where Shane was standing.  

When Stephanie looked up at his face, his smile had dissipated.  His hands were on his hips in a demanding manner.  "What is wrong?" he emphatically asked.  

"Wrong?  Everything's just fine," she responded in a shaky voice and slowly stood, hoping that her legs wouldn't give way.  She reached out her arms to him and, after a minute of scrutinizing her, he returned her hug.  He tugged her over to the black leather sofa and sat her down.

"There's something that you need to know, although it's a little too late to be telling you."  Stephanie held her breath at his words.  "You are not good at hiding your emotions…ever.  Now, tell me what's going on."          

"It's nothing really.  I'm just nervous about the reaction of signing Mr. America.  Hogan signed the finalized contract this morning.  Be it Hogan or 'Mr. America,'" she made the quote marks in the air with her fingers, "Dad's going to be pissed but it's the only way I know to get Hogan back on TV.  I'm not happy about having to play stupid but I don't know what else to do.  That's all."  She finally stopped rambling and picked at her manicured nails.  

"I've played poker with you before.  You're not good at lying either.  What was in the envelope?"

The immense weight of the letter physically fell down upon her and the fear forced her to yield to his demands.  "I received a…a letter," she started and stumbled to the desk in an ungraceful manner unlike the usual, recent Stephanie McMahon.  "I…well…here, just read it."  She jerked the letter out from under the files, sending paper cascading down her desk.  She left them where they landed as she watched Shane unfold the letter.

At first, his face betrayed no emotion but then his dark eyes widened but quickly narrowed in anger.  By the time he was finished, his cheeks were red with fury.  He slammed the hated paper down on the hard wooden desktop, the noise causing Stephanie to jump.  "And you weren't going to tell me about this?" he shouted.  She stuttered something unintelligible and began to cry as she plopped down in her desk chair.  "I'm sorry.  Shh…We're gonna fix this.  You're safe," he cooed and stroked her hair, crouching before her.  Shane waited patiently while she had her cry out, then he prodded her.

"There were others," she bluntly stated.  

"How many?" he quickly asked.

"Maybe three," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"When?"

"Past couple of months, I think," she answered, shaking her head and trying to remember.

"Where are they?" Shane shot out another rapid fire question.

"I threw them away," her irritated reply came.

"Why?"

"Why do you think?  It's not exactly something you keep, twit," she answered, her voice rising a little.

"Tell me about them."  He returned to the couch to listen, taking the letter with him.

"They basically said the same thing but were much less graphic and there was no…no death threat."  She shuddered at the thought of this last letter and what could happen if the desires of the stalker were carried out.  She and Triple H had not engaged in some of the activity listed in the letter during their marriage.  That's not to mention the description of her death that the stalker had concocted.

"Why didn't you go to someone before now?" he asked, sounding a bit accusing without meaning to do so.

"Like you or any of the wrestlers hadn't received a 'stalker' letter before?"

"Okay, you've got me there.  What about this one?"

"I just found it in my mail that Sherry brought in earlier today.  I opened it, maybe, five minutes before you came in," she responded, raising her voice.

 "Alright!  Calm down!  I guess we better call the police."

 "I don't think so.  You remember the last time we called the police in on something like this.  There's nothing I can tell them," Stephanie responded, bending over to pick up the spilled files on the dark green carpet.

"But, if this is the fourth letter, this guy could be planning on…on…you get the drift," he replied, waving the letter in the air.

She jerked back up with the files in her arms and threw them down on the desk.  "I know and that's why I'm scared now."

"That's why we need to get the police involved."

"Shane, look."  She took the letter from his hand and tapped the company's letterhead.  "It's someone at the office."

"Steph, I wouldn't limit it to the office only and that's why we have to get someone in now."  

She furrowed her brow in question.  "What do you mean 'not limit it to office only'?"

Shane rolled his eyes and leaned back on the couch.  "Because last year, your Christmas present to everybody was company stationery."

"Did I really do that?"  Shane only closed his eyes and shook his head 'yes.'  "See that's another reason we can't call in the police.  The inside 

investigation will be hell."

"Let's call Dad," he quickly responded.

"Let's don't."  Shane gave her a quizzical look.  "He is not going to be happy with me after he finds out about Hogan."

"Okay, okay…"  Shane trailed off, tapping his finger to his lips in thought.  After a moment of silence, he looked back up at her.  "How's this?  We get through the show tonight.  I'll stay with you at all times and, in the morning, well go see a friend of mine in New York that I think can help."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

Author's Notes:  Original characters of Therese Blair and Evan Blair are copyright of Disco Inferno1, 2003.


	2. Harbinger of Tension

**Author's Note:** To Lila, yes, there will be a love interest for Stephanie. This will become evident in the next few chapters.

**_Chapter Two: Harbinger of Tension_**

Stephanie was so nervous she couldn't sit still. Shane had dragged her to a security and investigation firm. Some friend of his was head of the company and Shane was trying to call in a favor. She applied the light mauve lipstick again for the second time in thirty minutes. Shane reached over and jerked the lipstick tube from her fingers. She clambered for it as he held it at arm's length from her. "Give it back."

"Only if you promise not to put it on again _and_ then RELAX!" He dangled it in front of her. She grabbed for it again but he whipped it out of her grasp. "You didn't promise."

"Okay, I promise." She jerked the lipstick from his hand and threw it in her purse. She straightened her black skirt and began looking around the office.

The massive desk was much like hers in the corporate office. Books on security and private investigation lined the shelves behind the desk. There was a mini-bar in one corner and a small round table with six chairs around it. The view from the enormous window wasn't much to look at from the twenty-fifth floor. The pair was seated on a taupe couch that matched the earth tone color scheme of the room.

Finally, a man entered the room. Stephanie presumed him to be Aaron Pendleton, the owner of the office. He was dressed in a dark chocolate suit. His light blonde hair was slightly thinning but his brilliant smile drew away one's eyes. He and Shane greeted each other with a hug. Stephanie, having stood upon his entrance, clasped his outstretched hand. He motioned for them to sit back down and then joined them in a plush chair beside the sofa.

"Ms. McMahon, your brother has informed me of the situation and I believe we can help," he began in a soothing voice. She nodded and he continued. "We have taken into consideration your prominence regarding television, the concern for an in-depth investigation, and the need to locate this offender." He leaned forward in his seat. "We determined that the best course would be something like a bodyguard while we investigate the evidence that we have."

"Wait. A bodyguard? That's not—" Stephanie interrupted but was cut off.

"We chose a woman that will pose as a college friend that you are hiring as a personal assistant. As a person in this position and both of you not having seen each other since your college graduation, she can stick very close to your side. This will keep you safe and not tip the stalker off or frighten him away," Aaron continued.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Ms. McMahon, would you like a bodyguard for the rest of your life?" She shook her head in the negative. "From the letter's contents, this is a serious matter. You can go to the police and lose the man, only for him to resurface once they are gone, along with the possibility of this becoming a public spectacle. Or we can follow this course of action in hopes that this will be all over in a matter of weeks. The choice is yours."

Stephanie stared back at him for a moment as he leaned back in his seat. She knew there was no reason in even pondering the options. "How much is this going to cost?" she sighed.

Shane placed a hand on her knee. "That's not a concern of yours. I'll take care of it and you don't have to worry about finances at all."

Aaron smiled, stood up, and held out his hand. "Shall we proceed?"

"Yes, Mr. Pendleton," she replied, rising and returning his handshake.

Aaron strode over to his desk and picked up the phone. "Maya, send Therese in." He replaced it and turned back to the brother and sister. "We need to talk a little, set up the ground rules, and generally agree to how this will work." The knock at the door sounded as a harbinger as a young woman stepped into the office. "Therese, this is Shane McMahon and his sister, Stephanie. Shane, Stephanie, this is Therese Blair. She will be serving as your security."

Stephanie looked Therese over. She thought Therese to be her age or maybe a few years older. They were almost eye to eye in stature but Therese was of slightly smaller build but taller by a few inches, even with Stephanie wearing heels. She had long dark blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail with a pair of reflective sunglasses perched on her head. She wore a loose navy blue pantsuit and held a leather portfolio in one hand. Therese's hazel eyes were obviously assessing Stephanie as Stephanie was assessing her. The women offered each other their hands and than Therese returned Shane's greeting.

"Let's sit," Aaron spoke. The four gathered around the table and Aaron produced the same portfolio and Therese opened hers, prepared to get down to business.

[][]

"Aaron, how in the hell could you do this to me?" Therese yelled minutes after the McMahons had left. "That woman is the queen bitch of wrestling."

"Therese, somebody had to do it. Sarah has a three-year-old and can't go on the road and—"

"Oh, so my little brother isn't important?" she shot back.

"Think about it," he replied and tapped his temple. "Three or thirteen? Who's going to handle it better?" Therese didn't respond. "Carla is working the Zielenski case and Dinah will be on vacation in a week and half."

"Aaron, I work security. I am not a detective," she angrily replied, pacing in front of him again.

"All I'm asking is that you keep your eyes open as to who it could be while we analyze this letter and hope for another one."

"Fine. I'll be counting every hour on my paycheck and this job better go in my personnel file for next year's evaluation." Aaron nodded, his hands up defensively. "Tell me, you do know who Stephanie McMahon is?" She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.

"When did you get into wrestling?"

"I've had to put up with watching wrestling in my house for almost a decade. Besides, it's none of your business and you didn't answer my question."

"I've watched SmackDown! a little," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Then you know nothing," she bluntly stated and stalked out of the office.

[][]

"Shane, I can't do this with that woman. She is the most cold and demanding person I've ever met," Stephanie complained, slipping back into her whiny self that she worked so hard to control over the past year.

"She ranks above Dad?"

"You know what I mean…Did she have a heart underneath that frigidness? 'You'll have to do this and you'll have to do that. I'm the boss. Obey my command,'" Stephanie mocked Therese. "Did you notice the way she talked down to me?"

"I think you're exaggerating a little, Steph. She's just doing her job," Shane replied as if this was another ordinary conversation with his sister.

"I can't handle her twenty-four hours a day. At least I have one more day before the demon is unleashed."

Shane shook his head sadly and followed her into her spacious home. "She wasn't that bad," he called after her as she ascended the steps into her room. _Maybe you're just pissed because you've met your match._

Stephanie quickly ran a hot shower. She slid in to let the water massage her body but her mind couldn't be relaxed. No doubt she was frightened by this stalker. She didn't feel safe at the moment even though she had a security system already in place and Aaron had one of his staff sweep the house for security issues and then take up watch from outside. The next "guard" would be Therese and Stephanie hoped they would find common ground and make this time tolerable. _At least I got a woman instead of some hulking man, could be worse…I think_, she thought to herself.

Stephanie recalled the conversation at the firm, trying to determine if she had left anything out. They had run down the daunting list of suspects—Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Eric Bischoff, Triple H—of course—and even her entire family. There were more and she had ticked them off on her fingers, detailing their exploits. Therese's words echoed in her mind, "Ms. McMahon, who haven't you pissed off?" Stephanie was angry at her comment but it was true. Now they had to determine who was pissed off enough to take such actions.

[][]

Therese slammed the door shut behind her and threw her keys in the little bowl on the small table by the door. She stalked on through the apartment, not noticing the lone key that was already in the bowl. She threw her briefcase down on the desk before locking her 9mm Beretta and shoulder holster in the safe beside the desk and continuing her rampage into the kitchen. The sight before her just added fuel to the fire. "Evan Blair!" she yelled and headed straight for the bedroom.

The lean, dark-haired, dark-skinned boy scrambled up at his name and began trying to pick up the dishes scattered around him. "Hey," he said sheepishly, hiding a bag of potato chips and a dirty bowl behind his back.

"Evan, why does it look like a tornado has been through our apartment?"

"Derek came over," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"And?"

"And we wrestled some," he answered quietly, staring at the floor.

"And?" she continued, putting her hands on her hips.

"And I tried to make some supper when you weren't home when I thought you were supposed to be." He hung his head and dug his bare toe in the carpet.

"I left a message. Did you check the answering machine?" she asked, her tone much softer.

"I forgot," he mumbled and continued to look down.

"Did you get supper made?"

"Not really. Derek went home because he got hungry." He looked up at her as sad as he could, hoping supper was on the way.

"Do you want McDonald's?" His eyes lit up and he flashed a brilliant smile. "Car or subway?"

"You'll let me ride in the company car?"

"Get your shoes on and let's go," she answered, pointing at his bare feet and jerking her thumb towards the door.

In the car, she asked about his day, as always, and then he asked about hers, wanting to know if work had put her in such a bad mood. "I have bad news, babe."

"What now?" he sighed.

"I'm going to have to spend a couple of weeks on the road, maybe more. Vera will come to stay with you again."

His green eyes lit up again. "It's about time they gave you someone famous. Who is it?"

She knew Evan would love this. "You know you can't breathe—"

"A word of this to anyone," he mocked her, finishing her sentence. "Have I ever?"

"This time more than anytime."

"I'll pinky swear," he quickly said, holding out his pinky finger and almost jumping out of his seat.

As stupid as that sounded, with Evan, Therese knew he was more than serious. "You'll love this—Stephanie McMahon."

"Holy crap! My sister is going to be Stephanie McMahon's bodyguard!"

"Evan, you can't say _anything_." He had the most painful look on his face. "You know the consequences if—"

"Will you be on TV?" he asked, not letting her finish.

"As little as possible. I'm her friend from college that she's hired as her personal assistant while we…take care of things."

"That'll work perfect since Dawn Marie just chunked on her when she married Al."

"Don't remind me," Therese responded, rolling her eyes.

"We'll have to get you some Dawn Marie dresses."

"And where do you propose I put my gun? Between my boobs?" she asked, sarcastically.

"No, stupid…Wait, if you're a friend from college, you'll probably need to wear outfits like hers. We need to add color to your clothes," Evan added, then stuck out his tongue out between his lips in thought.

"I think mine are fine."

"And make-up, too," he said, ticking off his thoughts on his fingers.

"Evan!"

"Do you have high heels?" Without taking a breath, he continued. "We'll have to stop at Macy's on the way home."

"Evan!"

"Therese!" he shouted back. She sighed and put the car in park, knowing full well he was right.

[][]

TBC…

**Author's Note:** This fic will not get updated nearly as fast as the first one I posted. I had that one almost completely written before I uploaded it. This one has about three chapters pre-written so far, but I hope that y'all don't have to wait too long between chapters.


	3. Matchmaker, Matchmaker

**_Chapter Three: Matchmaker, Matchmaker_**

Stephanie picked Therese up in the limo from Therese's hotel in Stamford so they could talk on the way to the airport. Therese declined any drinks that Stephanie offered and began right away. "We have to put up a good front in being friends from college. I have visited Boston University before, so that's no trouble. I read up on your history and I believe to be able to handle any questions posed regarding that area. Just a reminder, I'm single, no children, no siblings, no parents—died when I was twenty. We've not been in touch since your graduation. I live in Atlanta, Georgia. Do your best not to talk about me." _That won't be hard,_ Stephanie thought. "I know we've talked about this before, but it's all very important. I enter first and I leave first. You do not go anywhere or do anything without me. Inform me of the slightest incident related to out task. Now we need to get some things on the same page. I know what activities you participated in and the classes you took in college but I need the off-record items, like who your friends were and what you did in your free time." Therese leaned back in the seat and waited for Stephanie to begin. _I never thought she would take a breath, _Stephanie thought to herself and began to reminisce about her college days.

Once at the airport, both were silent. Because the flight was at the end of the week, there were no acquaintances on board and Therese's introduction was postponed. Stephanie had business in Halifax about future promotions there. She studied her notes for the meeting and Therese continued to read up on Stephanie and her papers for the "mission." The atmosphere was so tight between the two, it was almost suffocating. Neither could understand why the other couldn't be a little more friendly.

Little was said between the two on the plane and the scene at the hotel only afforded a few more words. Stephanie felt like a complete idiot standing out in the hallway with her bag as Therese checked the room. She silently disappeared inside and, in moments, the lights were on and the room to her satisfaction. Stephanie threw her things down and opened the balcony door, inhaling the fresh air. Therese came over and pushed the glass door back.

"Ms. McMahon, when I tell you to do something, I'm not joking. Do I need to remind you about opening the door to unapproved people?" Stephanie glared at her with the classic McMahon "got to hell" look. Therese straightened herself up and returned the glare. "I will remain here if you would like to spend time on the balcony. However, I assume you would've been desperate to get away from me."

"Fine," Stephanie angrily spat.

"I am going to my room. Whatever you need, let _me_ know." Therese stepped out into the hall to enter the adjoining room. When it was to her satisfaction, she opened the adjoining door and called for Stephanie to do the same. Nothing was said between the two and Stephanie stalked off to shower. Therese turned the television on and began searching for hockey, not remembering if there was a play-off game. With no luck, she left it on ESPN and put in a quick call to Evan, who immediately asked her what Stephanie was like and who she had met. She regretted she had little to tell him.

Therese curtly informed Stephanie she was showering now that Stephanie was out. Therese was quick but once done, she wished she had taken her time. She heard Stephanie's angry voice on the phone and caught her name when she stepped into the room to ask Stephanie if there was anything else she needed. Stephanie stopped mid-sentence when she saw Therese and her face turned red. She muttered "no, thanks" and waited until Therese left the room to continue the conversation with Shane.

[][]

"Man, you need a woman to take your mind off this Triple H crap," Shawn Michaels spoke, shutting the door to dressing room that he and Kevin Nash shared. Nash had a folding chair pulled up to the television, a remote control in his hand, watching the last altercation between himself and Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

"Shawn…the last two dates I went out on were disasters," Nash replied, not looking up.

"That was also before your tore your quad," Shawn added, folding his arms across his chest and staring Nash down.

"Wait, one was with that physical therapist in Florida."

"Yeah, I can see that one lasted, for what, two days. That has been almost six months ago."

"I've had more than things to worry about than women," Nash said, glancing up at Shawn and gesturing towards the television.

"That's my point exactly. You are letting this get to you so much that you need something—someone—to take you mind off of things and, well, whatever comes after that," Shawn replied, moving between Nash and the screen.

"Mr. Single, I don't know if you've noticed, but the choices around here are kind of slim. I can't dance my way into any woman's pants like you can," Nash commented, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I resemble that remark," Shawn replied, seriously. "Besides, I'm not talking about a one night stand."

"What do you want me to do? Put an ad in the singles connection—'old beat-up wrestler seeks hot woman for long-term commitment?' You're making too much out of this." Nash waved him out from in front of the TV.

"Look, I will set you up if you don't do something about it," Shawn spoke, slightly bending over to come eye to eye with Kevin.

"Do what? Ask out the next woman that I meet for the first time?"

"That would work," Shawn enthusiastically responded. "Seriously, do it."

"Fine. Just to get you off my back," Nash growled, pushing Michaels out of the way of the television.

"Promise me."

"What?" Nash snarled, pausing the video.

"Promise me you will do it."

"Okay, okay, I promise." Nash clicked the television off. "Let's go see Bischoff and give my _thanks_ for the pay-per-view match while he still has some authority. It's nice to know those in power."

The two made their way down the halls of the arena, stopping before the co-managers' door. Bischoff's voice could be heard on the other side but there was no telling sound of Austin's presence. Nash knocked and the two went in without waiting for Bischoff's response.

[][]

Therese shifted uncomfortable in the limo seat and chewed angrily on the inside of her cheek. She had just spent the longest day of her life. Mindless doodles had covered her notepad in an almost vain effort to stay awake. Then there was shopping. Therese couldn't imagine why Stephanie needed another pair of brown boots, a _particular_ pair of brown boots that took forever to find. There were a couple of times that she was sure Stephanie was dragging her around to every shoe store in Canada just to piss her off for the way Therese had treated her last night.

Stephanie lounged across the seat, sipping a martini and watching RAW on the small television, as the limo careened through the streets of Halifax. Tonight was a good night. She absentmindedly fiddled with the clasp on a brown envelope marked "confidential" underneath Eric Bischoff's name written in neat cursive. A small giggle escaped her lips as Stone Cold Steve Austin yelled "hired" one more time in Bischoff's face. She wished with every fiber of her being she could be there to see the look in his eyes when Therese handed him the envelope in her hand. They had fought over the both of them going versus Therese going alone. When Stephanie had thought about how volatile Bischoff could be at this time, she acquiesced to Therese's demands and enjoyed just the image in her head of how good it would be.

"Ms. McMahon, I—"

"_Therese,_ I thought we were to call each other by our first names in private so that we would be comfortable with them in public," Stephanie nonchalantly cut in and then swirled her drink.

Therese bit her lip as she seethed over those words. Stephanie was right and she knew it. "_Stephanie,_ you are really not in the position to be antagonizing a suspect."

"Let me have my fun. Bischoff has enough power and money to have any woman he wants. Why would he need to threaten me? Until you are the general manager of your own show, please stay out of the politics of this business." She smiled coolly and looked back up at the screen. The woman brought out the worst in her and she wasn't really sure why.

Therese considered it better to just keep her mouth shut. Her job was not to give Stephanie advice, just be her security, but neither was it for her to do Stephanie's dirty work. Yet, how could Therese keep her safe if she was allowed to deliver that envelope to Bischoff herself? The limo came to a stop and Therese slyly reached her hand into jacket and ran a finger across the Beretta. "Do not open that door or roll that window down for anyone, not even your father. As far as this arena is concerned, no one but myself and the driver is in this limo." She didn't ask Stephanie if she understood but gave the command with the sternest of looks as she slid out of the door the driver had opened.

Therese hadn't the faintest idea what was in the large envelope but she made her way through the arena as if she owned the place. After questioning one of the staff, she found the managers' door and loudly rapped on it. An angry voice questioned who it was and she responded that she was Stephanie's personal assistant. All was quiet behind the door for a moment and then it opened with Bischoff's grinning face on the other side.

"Aren't you a little lost? This is RAW, sweet cheeks."

"I am fully aware of that, _pumpkin butt_, but I am here to deliver this." She thrust the envelope at him.

"To what do I owe this honor, Ms…" Bischoff asked, trailing off and gesturing for her to come in.

She took a couple of steps but not enough for him to shut the door. "Therese Blair. And in response to your question, I don't know why. I am only the messenger," she replied indifferently, staring him in the eyes.

Bischoff laughed and turned to Nash and Michaels who had stood from the black leather couch when Bischoff answered the door. He pointed at her and laughed again. She had rather be anywhere else than here and was fed up with Bischoff's attitude. With her eyes narrowed, she interrupted his laugh. "I apologize that I can't stay and share the laugh. Please open it, so that I can return with your answer."

"My answer?" Bischoff laughed and opened the brown envelope. His eyes scanned the single sheet of paper. As he read, he began to grind his teeth and a vein popped out on his temple. Without looking up, he wadded the paper. "Get—the—hell—out—of—my—office," he quietly ground out between clenched teeth. Before she could go, he grabbed her by the shoulders to push her out. In the blink of an eye, she took her forearms to the inside of his elbows and a knee to his stomach and he was staggering away.

"Don't _ever_ touch me again." She turned on her heels to go.

Shawn leaned over to Nash and quietly whispered, "Go ask her."

"What?"

Shawn grabbed Nash by the elbow and started dragging him out of the office while Bischoff threw papers across the room, ignoring their presence. "You promised me that you would ask out the next woman that you met."

"Jeez, Shawn, not now."

"She's got wit and can handle herself. She's not just another fragile bimbo. Looks like a lot of fun. Hey, she's just as tall as Bischoff. No more bending over to get to your woman. It'll be good for your back."

Nash shook his head as Shawn pushed him in the direction in which Therese had headed. He jogged until he caught sight of her and called out for her to stop. He could not believe he was doing this as she turned around to face him. Her first thought was to make a wild dash for the limo since she was less than fifteen yards away, but curiosity got the best of her. "You okay? Bischoff didn't hurt you or anything when he, uh, when…"

Her first thought was anger, anger because he obviously didn't notice that a woman could take care of herself against slime like Bischoff. She almost replied hatefully but wondered too much why he, Kevin Nash, would take an interest in her health. "I'm fine. He might not be though," she responded and smiled.

He held out his hand. "Kevin—"

"Nash." She shook his hand in return after interrupting. "Who wouldn't know?"

He laughed a little and released her hand. "So you watched wrestling before you became Stephanie's assistant?"

Therese glanced over at the limo where Stephanie waited. "Yeah, she got me started on it in college."

"College roomies, huh?"

"Nah, just sorority sisters. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Therese—"

"Blair," he cut in, smiling. "I paid attention."

"I kind of have to get back to work." She jerked her thumb towards the limo. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

As she turned to go, Shawn sidled up to Nash. "You didn't ask her." Nash rolled his eyes and called Therese's name. She turned around half way to the sleek vehicle.

He ran his hand through his long, wavy hair. "I, uh, wanted to ask you something." She wrinkled her brow in question. "You'll be in Halifax for a few days, right?" She nodded. "You want to go out with me tomorrow night or maybe Wednesday?"

_Did **Kevin Nash** just ask me out? Why in God's name…_ She glanced over her shoulder at the limo. As much as she wanted to—just to know why he asked her out—she knew she had to decline. "I would love to, but I'm really busy. I've not been working for Stephanie a whole week yet, so I've got a lot to do."

Nash looked down at his feet dejectedly. For the first time since high school, Kevin Nash was turned down. "Well, um, okay. Maybe some other time."

"Yeah, maybe," she smiled, knowing there wouldn't be "another time." The driver opened up the door and she slid in.

"Yeah, you need her," Shawn said, after they were out of sight. "I'll definitely get her number for you."

"Look, I asked her out. Isn't that enough for you?"

"Kev, Kev, Kev, you just don't know what's good for you." Shawn clucked his tongue and walked ahead of Nash down the hall.

[][]

Stephanie's heart began to pound when she saw Therese coming into the parking lot sans the large envelope. She got a little worried when she saw her stop and turn around, afraid that Bischoff may have tried to physically retaliate. Then Nash appeared and she talked to him like she was flirting. Stephanie grew irate. _Conspiring with the enemy! Protect me? Not when she's flirting with the general manager's buddy and my ex's old friend!_ Then she noticed Shawn Michaels standing over to the side and waving—at her! She smiled and started to wave back. _There's no way he could know I'm in here._ When Therese headed for the limo, she shrank back against the seat, hoping no one would see her when the driver opened the door.

"What did he say?" Stephanie excitedly asked.

Therese couldn't help but laugh. "There are no words to describe the look on his face. He hadn't even finished reading the letter and a vein was already popping out. I don't know what was on that paper, but you should have seen it." She slapped her knee and laughed so hard she began to snort.

"It was just a 'congratulations' on his new position as _co_-manager of RAW. Since Austin's appointment to the same position, I have been trying not to rub it in, but I guess I couldn't help myself," Stephanie replied, trying to stifle a giggle. Therese's laughter was contagious and soon she was giggling with her.

When the commercial break was over, the two quieted down to watch and hopefully catch a glimpse of Bischoff's reaction and retaliation, but all they got was Bischoff complaining to Stephanie's mother about the situation with Austin later on in the show. When Nash began his violent assault on Triple H, Stephanie chewed her bottom lip in thought. After Nash ran Helmsley out into the street, she turned sharply to Therese.

"What were you doing talking to Kevin Nash?"

Therese shrugged her shoulders. "He stopped me and asked if I was alright after leaving."

"Alright? What happened?" Stephanie almost shrieked. Therese quickly and quietly explained. "And it took that long for you to say you were fine?"

"He asked me out."

"What did you say?" she quickly asked, her eyes widening.

"No, of course," Therese responded, glaring at her. "I have a job to do and dating is not in the description."

"Did Shawn Michaels say anything?"

"No. Why?"

"No reason, really." Stephanie wouldn't dare let anyone, especially Therese, in on the secret that she thought of Shawn as a little more than just a friend for years now. No one needed to know as far as she was concerned. She wasn't going to date another co-worker again, not to mention she didn't really have the time to engage in a dating relationship at the present. Hunter had hurt her about as bad as she had hurt him. There still hadn't been enough time for that to heal to the point of considering dating again. As much as she wanted to be over it, she wasn't and knew better than to push something too early. After thinking about Shawn Michaels, Stephanie fell quiet for the rest of the evening as she finished watching RAW, making some notes on the show, and turning in for an early night.

Therese liked it that way and didn't do anything to disturb the peace. She tried to catch the last of the Minnesota and Anaheim play-off games to waste time _and_ not to think about Nash. After her elation at Anaheim pulling off the series, her thoughts turned to Nash anyhow. She was not involved and, apparently, neither was Nash. Sure, she had her share of boyfriends in the past, but lately, things were different. After Evan came to live with her, dating was almost non-existent. Most didn't want Evan being around, even if he was her _brother._ He was her responsibility and more important than trying to get dates, so she stopped trying. As they got into the routine of their new lives, she went out again on occasion but they still went running at the sight of Evan. Her play became her work as she realized just how much she would need for a fast-growing teenager, especially to be able to send him to college.

Nash would be no exception in her dating rules. No matter what his intentions, one night in Halifax wouldn't be worth it. She wouldn't lie to herself and say she didn't entertain the thought of finding an avenue to get away for one night. In her eyes, Nash had definitely earned the title of "Big Sexy." If she had to list her favorite wrestlers, he would in the top ten. He was someone taller than her and wouldn't be intimidated by her work or strength. Hopefully, Evan wouldn't be a problem. _Evan, he can't even know about him. Our relationship would just be a lie._ Of course, that didn't stop her from wanting. Nothing mattered though. She had said "no" and it was over.

[][]

TBC…


	4. Results of Mediation

**_Chapter IV:  Results of Mediation_**

          Stephanie kept herself busy for the next two days.  She had gotten a threatening call from her father's secretary about being in attendance Thursday but shrugged it off as always.  McMahon's threats weren't much anymore and she had dealt with them for years.  Therese watched the hotel room turn into an office as Stephanie set to reviewing files and making phone calls.  She wished she had that much work to do.  A few hours both days got her caught up.  On the other hand, Stephanie stopped long enough to eat, so she stayed out of her way.

          Wednesday evening, Stephanie was so absorbed in finalizing the details for tomorrow's show, she didn't notice the delivery of their evening meal.  Therese spread the food out over her table since there was no uncovered surface in Stephanie's room to eat on.  She knocked on the open door before speaking.  "Stephanie, do you—"

          "I asked for no distractions," she tersely interrupted, beginning to dial another number on her cell phone.

          "If you don't want to eat, that is fine with me."  Therese turned on her heels, wishing she could slam the door shut.

          "Therese," she called after her in a softer tone.  "I just didn't realize what you wanted."  Knowing she had to apologize to _this_ woman, she swallowed hard.  "I'm sorry.  You just caught me in the middle of an important moment."

          Therese walked back into the room.  "I put it out on my table, so you don't have to move any of your stuff."  Stephanie stood and almost sent her laptop crashing to the floor.  Therese reached out as Stephanie did and both caught the machine in time.  "Do you do this all the time that you're on the road?"

          "Yeah," she answered, sighing, and settled down at the other table.  "I try to take off two days a week and stay at home, but that rarely happens, and then the day at the office.  The rest of the time, well, here you have it."  She swept her arm towards her room.  "I do have to take a little time to shop.  The billion dollar princess can't be caught out of fashion and wearing the same thing twice in a row."  Therese laughed softly with her.  "I love my job.  I really do.  It can catch up with you too fast and leave little or no time for pleasure."

          "I understand," Therese commented.  Between bites, the two talked about the next day at the arena, Stephanie reminding Therese what to expect and vice versa for Stephanie.  

          Everything went as expected…until the first two minutes of the show.  They were at the arena all day and few of the staff inquired as to Therese's presence.  She piddled behind Stephanie, acting like an assistant but doing nothing other than keeping her eyes open.  As wrestlers began to arrive, Stephanie took to her office to sit back and watch SmackDown! evolve.  And evolve it did!

          "I have to go out there!  He called me out!" Stephanie shouted at Therese when she told her to stay in the office instead of meeting Vince's demand that she come to the ring.

          "You can't go out there without me."

          "Then, let's go."

          Therese grabbed her by the elbow before she opened the door.  "I don't need to be out there."

          Stephanie violently jerked her arm away.  "I don't care what _you_ do, but _I'm going to the ring.  I'm not going to cower because of those letters.  __Let's go."_

          "Okay, okay.  This is what I'm going to do."  Therese quickly detailed her plan, which wasn't much, as they hurried to the ring.  She left Stephanie at the stairs and rushed around to the side entrance.

          Stephanie's music has already begun and she took a big breath before stepping out from behind the black curtain.  Coolly strolling to the ring, she glanced around for Therese as she climbed in.  Therese had come down behind her inconspicuously and taken a seat on a folding chair ringside.  Stephanie stood proud and defended her choice of signing Mr. America.  When Hogan appeared on the Titantron via satellite, Stephanie stuck to her guns and didn't flinch at her father's words.  When it was over, Stephanie waited for Vince to leave and then she and Therese walked out together, knowing the cameras were off.

          Back in Stephanie's office, Therese lit into her full tilt.  "Don't ever do something like that again on the spur of the moment!"  Stephanie turned her back to Therese and didn't answer.  "Do you hear me?"

          Stephanie whipped around, anger shooting from her eyes like darts.  "Don't talk to me like a little child!"

          "Listen here—" Therese started but Stephanie strode across the room, less than a foot from her.

          "No, you listen here.  I run this show.  You're job is to keep me safe while I do my job," Stephanie angrily bit out.

          "I can't keep you safe when you do stupid things like that."

          "Are you calling me stupid?"  The brunette's eyes widened in question.

          "What if I am?"

          "I grew up around wrestlers.  Don't start with me," Stephanie seethed, her nose less than an inch from Therese's.

          "I have been trained to take down men twice my size with my bare hands," Therese slowly replied through clenched teeth.  "I suggest that you don't start with _me._"

          Therese wanted to dare Stephanie to hit her.  Someone on Stephanie's own level needed to take her down with a real reason instead of just being thrown around by overgrown men—and Therese wanted to do it.  For five days she had put up with Stephanie's crap.  For almost over four years she had watched Stephanie, status given by virtue of her family and not merit, play the poor innocent girl who was abused by everyone and then rebelled because of the abuse.  Just because of a hiatus and a divorce, she was just _so respectful.  Her job was the last thing on her mind as she waited for Stephanie to make the first move._

          Stephanie wanted to dare Therese to hit her.  She didn't know what had made that woman so bitter but somebody needed to knock the taste out of her mouth—and Stephanie wanted to do it.  She had given her a simple job.  If it hadn't been for her, Stephanie McMahon, that woman might not have been employed.  She was paying major dollars for security and was getting nothing but a hard time.  Her _security needed straightening out.  It was obvious to her that the coward wasn't going to move, so she drew her hand back and—_

          The door suddenly opened.  "Have you quit answering your door?" Vince McMahon angrily asked as the two jumped apart.  "Something going on here that I should know about?"  The corners of his mouth turning up in a sick grin.

          Therese quickly spoke up as Stephanie headed to her desk and fiddled with papers.  "Stephanie had some dirt in her eye and I was trying to get it out."

          "Is that what you gals call it these days?" Vince laughed.

          "Here they are, Therese," Stephanie lightly called out, holding up a bottle of eyedrops.  "Help me real quick."  Stephanie held one hand over her left eye, gave Therese the little bottle as if nothing had ever happened, and then lounged across the couch.

          "Excuse me, sir," Therese said and stepped around McMahon to "help" Stephanie.

          "What do you want, Dad?" she asked, rising from the couch and wiping away the excess drops.

          "Are you okay?"  He bent down to look in her eyes.

          "Now I am.  What do you want?"

          "Mr. America just—wait, who are you?" McMahon asked, pointing at Therese.

          "Oh, this is my new personal assistant, Ms. Therese Blair."  McMahon opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.  "I know the budget isn't open for her position but this is coming out of my own salary."

          Vince shook Therese's hand, eyeing her suspiciously.  He turned back around to Stephanie.  "Mr. America just arrived."

          "And you want me to do what about it?"

          "I'll tell you what I want done…" And for what felt like two hours, the chairman of WWE lectured Stephanie on bringing back Hogan and what that meant legally, contractually, and financially.  Therese could tell Stephanie had went into a trance, her eyes somewhere else but her face looking interested and her head bobbing at her father.

          Stephanie was somewhere in the Caribbean.  It didn't matter to her where and she was in a man's arms.  She felt safe and secure, but most importantly, she was happy.  She twirled a margarita in one hand and played in the blonde hair of the wonderful man that held her close.  She turned her face up to his, eyes closed as they should be when expecting that particular kiss.  When their lips parted, she opened her eyes to gaze into his face…

          "Stephanie!" McMahon raised his voice.

          "What?" she asked, her eyes coming back into focus.  

          "Did you hear anything I said?"

          _Unfortunately, **I did, Therese thought to herself as she surfed the Internet and checked her e-mail, faking work for Vince's benefit.**_

          "Yes, I did.  I agree wholeheartedly with you, Dad.  But I haven't brought back Hogan."  _You interrupted my daydream for **that**.  I hadn't even decided who I was dreaming about…well, maybe I had…Shawn **has** been in thoughts a lot lately…_

          "Why do you insist on playing this charade?"  Vince asked, but Stephanie didn't say another word as he turned the monitor on.

          Mr. America stood in the ring with a microphone in hand, which was apparently too much for McMahon.  He stormed out of the office and headed straight for him.  Stephanie hesitated when Vince ordered to help him take off the other man's mask.  With his arms around the man's neck, Vince tried to pry the mask off.

          "Stephanie, come on," Therese called out, heading to the steps.  "Just let them have it out."  Stephanie wanted to intervene and play mediator.  Yet, she also didn't want to have anything to do with her father's revenge, which he was obviously set on.  She was about to go when Vince slammed into her from Hogan's blow.  The world went fuzzy and voices became muffled.

          Therese cursed under her breath as she saw Stephanie go down.  She didn't know how much trouble she was going to be in for that one.  Because everyone was under suspicion, she stayed with Stephanie, sending someone else into the back to tell the medics what had happened and to be ready.  Hogan carried her out and Therese hovered around.

Stephanie came back to after a few minutes but the left side of her face was in a considerable amount of pain.  She flew into a rage at the sight of her father and starting going off about how it was all his fault.  Therese stood and only watched, poised to react if anyone, including McMahon, did anything else to hurt her.

**********

TBC…


	5. Figuring It Out

**_Chapter V:  Figuring It Out_**

Therese talked Stephanie into leaving the arena early, only after the general manager gave strict instructions to her staff _and_ after McMahon and Hogan had left.  Once at the hotel, Therese asked her a thousand times if there was anything she could do to help her.  All Stephanie wanted to do was lay down.  She didn't want to sleep, just rest.  Once settled in the bed with her laptop and remote control, she sent Therese out of the room, tired of her hovering around.  "One thing before you go."  Therese stopped in the doorway.  "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

   "Would you prefer I go back to being _me_?"

   "It was a simple question."

   "Whether or not you believe it, I _am_ a human being.  Every once and a while, I get on this weird streak."  Therese shrugged her shoulders.  "Take it for what it's worth."  She was feeling sorry for Stephanie.  She happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and couldn't be held at fault—too much.  Therese knew it was not in her nature to be so angry at someone she didn't know.  Yet, she felt like she knew Stephanie all too well, enough to know that she couldn't stand being around her.

Stephanie could see gleams of kindness in Therese every once and a while.  She admitted that she, herself, was the instigator of some of their "heated" conversation.  But if Therese didn't act like she did, Stephanie wouldn't need to be so hateful.  With the pain subsiding quite a bit, she snuggled into the pillow, thinking about drifting off to sleep, when her cellphone rang.

   "How ya doing, sugar?"

   "Shawn?" she asked, struggling to sit up.

   "Yeah, it's me.  Watched the show and wanted to check on you," Shawn Michaels said on the other end.

   "I'm fine, as always.  I've got a nice headache and backache that won't be a problem after a good night's sleep."

   "Glad to know.  Can I ask a favor of you?"

   "Yeah, what do you need?" she asked, her heart beating a little faster than normal.

   "Can you give me Therese's cellphone number?"

   "What?" She sat straight up, causing her head to start pounding.

   "Your assistant?  Her number?" Shawn asked with a "duh" sound to his voice.

   "Do you want to date her too?" Stephanie sarcastically asked.

   "Excuse me?"

   "Just a moment."  Stephanie shifted papers around but couldn't remember where she had put the number.  She found the hotel room number for the next night.  "Here is the hotel room she's staying in tomorrow night and here's the hotel number."  She called it out slowly, giving Shawn time to write it down.  "Why do you want it?"

   "I'm trying set her up with Kevin."

   "Really?"

   "Yeah, the two of them would make a great couple."  Shawn smiled as he spoke and Stephanie could tell over the phone.

   "I'm sure of it," she mumbled.

   "I better go and let you get your beauty sleep, like you need it though."

   Stephanie giggled before she realized it.  "You're just a suck-up.  Goodnight, Shawn."

   "Goodnight, Steph."  She canceled the call at his words and snuggled into the pillow again.  _You've got my number.  Try asking me sometime._  She sighed and turned the light out to watch some late night television.

When Stephanie had given Therese's number to Shawn, she had assumed that they would have been in Philadelphia, the next venue for RAW, long before they actually were.  Apparently the national threat level had risen again because customs were an absolute pain.  The two of them had spent most of the day in either of the airports.  Therese had expected to hear Stephanie whine about the situation but she only mentioned once about the lines being unusually long but how it was much better than a year and a half ago.  Therese was embarrassed about expecting Stephanie to be an annoying complainer but wasn't.  She almost couldn't believe her eyes when Stephanie pulled out Jane Austen's _Sense and Sensibility.  She faked curiosity in the book to get her hands on it to see if Stephanie had switched dusk jackets to cover up for some other book.  Therese had been quite occupied in just watching people interact.  _

At the hotel, however, Sports Center and the fourth Harry Potter book occupied Therese.  She had to get it read before _The Order of the Phoenix came out in June.  Evan would want the fifth installment and she wanted to be ready to read it with him to make up for her "abandoning" him however much longer it would be.  Therese's heart hit her feet when the phone rang.  No one should be calling her on the hotel line, so she immediately thought that someone had figured them out.  Taking a big breath, she hesitantly answered the phone._

**********

Kevin Nash looked up from polishing his boots when Shawn Michaels bounded into his living room.  "What's got you all in a good mood this time?"

          "Nuttin' much," he replied, shrugging his shoulders and handing him his cell phone.  "Here, listen."

          "What—" Nash began to ask as he put the phone to his ear.  "It's ringing!"  He shoved the phone back at Shawn.  Then he heard a feminine voice answer the phone.  Shawn pushed the phone back at him and mouthed "It's Therese Blair."  Kevin rolled his eyes and cradled the phone to his head.  "Therese?  Hi!  It's Kevin Nash.  How ya doin'?"

          Therese was totally surprised to hear Nash's voice.  "I'm doing fine.  I saw the rest of RAW.  Are you okay?"

          "Yeah, just a little banged up, but nothing out of the ordinary.  I saw you on SmackDown! and thought you looked great."

          "What?  For the actual five seconds you saw me?" she sarcastically asked, annoyed that she was on camera enough for him to notice.

          Nash laughed and then asked, "Is Stephanie running you ragged yet?"

          "Not too bad.  I'm staying busy but Stephanie's being good to me."

          The phone ringing had brought Stephanie out of her reverie of Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon in _Sense and Sensibility._  When she heard her name, she climbed out of bed and headed into the other room.

          "Give me a chance and let's have dinner tomorrow night.  I need encouragement for the last show before the pay-per-view," Nash said, honey dripping from his mouth.

          "I can't.  Don't get me wrong.  I really want to."  _And I'm not lying!  _"It's just that I have so much to do."  When Stephanie heard Therese's words, an epiphany struck and she quickly sat down on the bed, muttering to her to tell Nash to hold on.  "Kevin, um, can you hold on a minute?"

          "Sure."

          "Is that Nash asking you out again?"  Therese nodded in the affirmative.  "Is Shawn Michaels around?"

          "How am I supposed to know?"

          "Just listen."  Therese put the receiver back up to her ear to hear Shawn making up lines for Nash to use to get Therese to change her mind.

          "Yes, he's there."

          "Give me the phone," Stephanie demanded, holding out her hand for the phone.

          "What?"

          "Give me the phone."  Stephanie jerked it from her and began speaking.  "Kevin, hi.  It's Stephanie."

          "Stephanie!  I haven't talked to you in awhile."  Nash sounded surprised to hear her.  Shawn perked up more, if that was possible, at Stephanie's name.

          "Yeah, I'm always busy," she sighed wearily.

          "I take it from how busy you're keeping your assistant."

          "Can I talk to Shawn?"

          "Yeah, hold on a minute."  Kevin handed him the phone, mouthing that it was Stephanie, as Shawn he didn't already know.

          "Hey, babe.  What's going on?  Think you can let your girl have a night off?"

          "I bet I can talk her into going out with Kevin, if I go out with them on a double date.  I just don't have a date and three's a crowd," she said, pouting.

Therese couldn't believe what she was hearing.  "Stephanie!"  She jumped up from her seat at the head of the bed and dove for the receiver.  Stephanie barely managed to slide off the bed in time.  She put her hand out to hold Therese off, pushing her away each time she reached for the phone.  Therese considered using her skills to put her on the floor and take it away until she heard Stephanie accept Shawn's offer to take her on the date.  Then she knew it was no use.

On the other end of the line, Shawn turned back around to Kevin, smiling and nodding his head.  "Good.  We'll pick y'all up tomorrow at…"  Nash shrugged his shoulders and then mouthed "seven."  Shawn nodded again.  "Seven?"

          "Great.  We'll be ready.  See you!"  Stephanie lightly dropped the receiver back on the cradle.  She flashed a smile at Therese who was livid.

          "How dare you?  You have absolutely no business doing that!"

          "It gets me out of this hotel room without it having to be business and the both of us going was the only way."

          "You could have set us up with any—oh…"  Therese smiled with a knowing look.

          "Oh, what?"

          "You've got it bad for Shawn Michaels, don't you?"

          "I don't have it _bad_ for him," she said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

          "Ha!  You've got something for him though.  It's so easy to see now.  So, how bad is it?"

          "I don't know.  A little maybe."  Therese stared at her without moving.  "Okay, okay.  It's not an obsession.  I think I've always liked Shawn."

          "Even when you were with Hunter?"

          "Well, yeah, but I loved Hunter," she sighed but then continued, "I just knew that if Hunter never existed, I could easily have fallen for Shawn."

          "If Hunter never existed, you would never have hooked up with any of them anyhow," Therese added sarcastically.

          "Geez, just go with the idea, okay?"  Therese nodded, indicating she should continue.  Stephanie fell silent, obvious in thought as she recalled what went through her mind earlier in the week about dating Shawn.  "I shouldn't have done that," she said, quietly.  "I'm not ready to move on.  I'll call Shawn back and cancel."  

Stephanie rose to leave but Therese pulled her back down.  "Wait.  You need to get out.  You're overworked and overstressed.  This situation is keeping you from social interaction.  It'll be good for you."  Stephanie shook her head.  "Just let everything go and enjoy yourself."

"Alright, I'll go.  It's not like I'm agreeing to marry him…Are you trying to make me go so that you can go out with Kevin?"

"What?"

"I've got you figured out," Stephanie said, smiling.  "So, tell me.  What do you think about him?  I know you watch wrestling.  That's obvious."

"How do you know?" Therese asked very accusingly.

"You know way too much about the shows."

"When that's all your dad and brother watch and talk about it, you can't miss it," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"You like it.  I can see that."

"Alright, I won't lie.  I can watch it but I'm not a huge fan.  ShopZone only has my credit card number because of what I have bought my brother."

"Hmmm…So, is Kevin a part of what you _can_ watch?" Stephanie prodded.

"Stephanie!"

"Well?"

"Well…yeah…he is _very attractive and obviously a passionate man.  His temper, however, well, you saw that Monday night," Therese answered, picking at a frayed end of the coverlet._

"You've got him pegged, but there's so much more.  Between Shawn and Hunter, I know more than I probably want to know.  He's got good qualities and then he's got faults.  But who doesn't?"

"True.  But that's not why I've been trying to blow him off.  I can't date anyone during this stint.  Your safety is my responsibility and I can't go off and leave you alone.  This isn't just some office job.  It could be a matter of life or death."  Stephanie closed her eyes and dropped her head.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to bring it up like that," Therese quickly added.

"No, I haven't been taking this very seriously…Anyhow, we solved that problem this time since we'll both be there."

"Yeah, I guess so…"  _Oh, the problems that you don't know…_

**********

TBC…


	6. Operation Embarrassment

**_Chapter Six:  Operation Embarrassment _**

          Their afternoon fight regarding security for the evening, in which neither would budge, was finally over hours later when a compromise was found.  The riff had left a bad taste in Therese's mouth, but nothing daunted Stephanie as she readied for the night.  The morning had gone so well when Stephanie dragged Therese out to go shopping for a new outfit and had talked Therese into one for herself also.  They had acted like schoolgirls as they tried on clothing and talked about their dates.  After their fight, both were amazed that such a good morning had gone wrong.

          Austen's book could not occupy Stephanie and the television had nothing to hold her attention, so slowly getting ready early was her only option.  She was a nervous wreck and couldn't understand why.  She ran across Shawn often but he never evoked _this_ kind of feeling in her.  Thinking about how it was her first date since the divorce, she explained it away, especially since she was going with someone who was not on her favorites list.  Right now, she could use that not-so-favorite-person because she couldn't get her necklace clasped around her neck.

          Therese had given up on zipping the back of her dress.  As much as it killed her to do so, she stepped into Stephanie's room to ask for help. Stephanie was about to sling the necklace across the room because she was so frustrated with her trembling fingers.  "Here, let me help," Therese said, noticing her aggravation.  Stephanie said nothing as she handed off the diamond pendant.  Once on, she stood and twirled, showing off the red sleeveless blouse and black leather pants.  "Looks good.  He'll definitely like it.  I'll be finished if you don't mind zipping me up."

          "Ready?" Stephanie asked, fitting the zipper of the sapphire sheath in place.  "You're wearing your hair like that?"  Therese couldn't believe that she had just said that about the ponytail pulled back at the nape of her neck.  "You wear it like that all the time."

          "I don't have time to redo it now.  I really wanted to go get a drink at the bar before we left."  _Because I really need one, on the job or not, I need a little vodka.__  For heaven's sake, I'm going out with **Kevin Nash.**"It'll be fine.  Let's go on down," she protested._

"Sit."  Stephanie pointed at the vanity chair.  For some odd reason, Therese relinquished and parked it in front of the mirror. She was amazed that, in minutes, Stephanie had her straight hair piled high in curls.  "Alright.  _Now,_ we can go."  

"Take a picture.  My little brother will never believe I got this dressed up."  Therese laughed, grabbing her lace wrap so the two of them could head down to the lobby.

Upon their entrance, Shawn let out a cat call that drew the attention of everyone in the great room.  When everyone turned to give an approving look, Therese almost dragged Stephanie back to their room, for Stephanie's safety and for her own embarrassment.  However, her thoughts quickly changed at the sight of the two.  

Shawn looked like an Evolution protégé in a white dress shirt and navy blue pants.  Stephanie was already debating if it was too much on the first date to play in his hair that he had left down.  Therese hadn't gotten that far.  She was just reminding herself to not lose track of Stephanie's protection and to _breathe!_  Kevin had opted for a dark suit, his long hair falling across his broad shoulders.  They both smiled at each other and mumbled a hello before looking down at their own shoes.  Stephanie, however, had been grabbed up in a hug.  Shawn set her down and she immediately began to wipe lipstick off his cheek from her welcoming peck.

"Let's go, ladies," Shawn said, taking Stephanie by the arm and waving for Kevin and Therese to go ahead.  Therese automatically took a step towards the red corvette but Kevin kept going beyond it to a blue SUV.  Shawn unlocked the vehicle by remote and Therese climbed in the back without thinking of waiting for Kevin to open her door.  

As Shawn shut Stephanie's door, she turned around to Therese.  "Let him open the door for you.  It's okay."  Therese blushed beet red as Kevin slid in beside her.  _Where is that drink I wanted? _

"Blind dates suck, don't they?" Kevin leaned over and said to her quietly, which wasn't necessary since Shawn and Stephanie were chattering away about business and family, oblivious to those in the back seat.

"Well, yeah.  But we know each other's names and faces.  That doesn't count, does it?"

"So, you think this sucks so far?" Kevin asked with a smile.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way.  I'm just really nervous."  _Great, _Kevin thought, _another date with a woman more worried about my name and profession instead of me._

"Why?"

_Why?  Well, duh!  There's Shawn Michaels in the front seat and here's Kevin Nash sitting beside me.  Who in God's name wouldn't be nervous around these two icons?!  Therese replied, "I don't know.  I guess I have no reason to be, huh?"_

"I'm not gonna powerbomb you or anything."

_Yeah, but you might get too close.  "Well, that fear's taken care of," she joked, nervously laughing.  Nash broadly smiled at her joke, hoping the ice had been broken.  Therese was searching for something else to say when Stephanie turned around and began to engage Kevin in her and Shawn's conversation.  Therese listened, only adding a comment here and there._

When Shawn pulled up at the restaurant, he and Kevin filed out of the vehicle.  Stephanie reached around to put a hand on Therese's knee before she opened her door.  "I wasn't going to move," Therese muttered the lie through clenched teeth.

"Then why is your hand on the door handle?" Stephanie asked in a singsong voice.  _I'm not in the mood for you,_ Therese angrily thought.

The restaurant the two had chosen was fairly intimate and their table was somewhat secluded.  They settled in and Shawn began immediately to find common ground for Kevin and Therese.  "So, Therese, where are you from?"

"Atlanta."  She had no more said it than she realized that Nash was from Atlanta also.  _How did I end up picking such a big city and it still being such a small world?_

"Really?" Nash asked.  "I'm from Kennesaw.  What part of Atlanta?"

"Tucker."

"That's interesting."  _No, kidding,_ Therese thought.  "You don't have a Southern accent.  Have you lived there all your life?"

"No, I've moved around a lot my entire life.  It's only since I graduated that I've been living in Atlanta."

"Speaking of graduation," Shawn popped in, "y'all two graduated together, huh?"

"Actually, no, I was a senior when she was a freshman.  I picked her for my little sister in our sorority."

"Sorority girls, that's sweet," Shawn said, whistling.

"It was not like that and you know it, Shawn Michaels," Stephanie firmly interrupted.

"No, she was a good girl until I got hold of her," Therese laughed.  _Operation Embarrass Stephanie now in progress._  "Let me tell you about the time she got stuck in the boys' dorm."  Stephanie glared at her since she could do nothing else.  "My boyfriend and I were resident directors, so we could get away with anything.  This particular evening, I set Stephanie up with a friend of Mark's who lived on the same hall as Mark.  She was supposed to come back to Mark's room before curfew so that I could get her out without getting in trouble.  Guess who forgot?"  They all turned to look at Stephanie.  Her cheeks were growing red.  "I knocked on Steve's door and, when nobody answered, I used Mark's master key to get in and found the two of them in a heavy lip-lock on the couch.  They had no clue I was there, so I went back to get Mark."  Therese started giggling.  "So, Mark knocks on the door and calls out to Steve.  Stephanie dives behind the couch and Steve answers the door.  Mark asks for his roommate.  Of course, he's not there.  So Mark asks who was there since he could obviously hear someone else in the room.  The look on Steve's face was priceless.  So, Mark gets another of his buddies and they set up camp at the only exit to 'study.'  Stephanie waits and waits and waits.  Somewhere around six in the morning, she decides to go out the window, four stories up.  She makes it down the trellis to the resident assistant's balcony but can't get anywhere else.  By this time, a storm comes in full force and there is nowhere for her to hide.  So, she tries to go through the railing and gets her head stuck in it.  She can't get through it or get back on the balcony."  By this time, Stephanie was so mad that she was twisting a napkin between her hands to keep from hauling off on Therese.  "Stephanie had just gotten soaked when Mark called me to come and get her.  The resident assistant threatened to turn the three of us in when we woke him up at seven a.m.  Mark threw out some blackmail and we waltzed out of the guys' dorm with a clean record.  However, half of the freshman class saw her on their way to breakfast," Therese finished and the three of them were laughing as Stephanie feigned a smile.

"At least I wasn't almost arrested," Stephanie said, narrowing her eyes in a glare.

"Arrested?" Kevin and Shawn asked in unison, turning to look at Therese.

Therese leaned back in her seat.  "Let's hear it, _Steph_."

"Part of the seniors' prank was to put a barnyard animal in the dean's office and—"

"If you're gonna tell it, get it right.  It was a bull in the President's office," Therese interrupted, trying to stay one up on her.

Stephanie glared back before continuing.  "Anyway, Sherry talks the student worker into leaving the window unlocked that evening.  Since Therese was so tall, they put her through the window.  She gets all the doors unlocked that lead from the hall to the office.  The guys are dragging the _bull into the office with Therese leading the way, while the rest of them stand guard.  Then the police sirens go off.  Apparently, they tripped a silent alarm.  Everyone scatters leaving Therese blocked in the office by the bull."  Stephanie started laughing so hard she had to catch her breath to continue.  "The bull won't move, so she has to go out the window.  She's dangling out the window as the police bust into the office.  She takes off running towards our dorm but she runs straight into a policeman.  Assuming she's the one that broke into the office, he puts her down on the ground and gets her in handcuffs.  The guy drags Therese into the secretary's office and _then _they listen to her story.  She spills out some bull…no pun intended…about being in the guys' dorm past curfew and was trying to get back before anyone noticed she was gone.  She demands they call Mark and ask him if she was with him.  Well, Mark was the one who got the bull in the first place.  He already knows he's in trouble for splitting on her, so there is no way he would lie.  They kept her there until the President got there and they got the bull out of the office.  She barely rolled into her morning class because it took so long."  Stephanie was laughing so hard tears started forming in the corners of her eyes._

Therese was looking for something to come back with to embarrass her again but their food began to arrive.  They turned to talking about business, obviously leaving out Nash's troubles with Triple H.  The embarrassing stories seemed to have been forgotten by all parties involved and the two had quit glaring at each other.  Even though the dinner was going so well, Therese was relieved to see the server bring the check.  She could quit worrying about being out with Kevin and keeping an eye on everything in the room for Stephanie's safety.  

As they headed to the car, Shawn whispered to Stephanie, asking her if she wanted to go to the local park.  Stephanie gestured towards Kevin and Therese, who were discussing the highlights of Atlanta.  Stephanie almost couldn't resist asking how Therese knew so much about the city.  "Yeah, they're getting along well, don't you think?"

"Sure," she whispered back.  "But, I don't want to just ditch them."

"I've got an idea."

"What?"

"It's nothing much.  You'll see when we get there."  Stephanie didn't reply, running the scenario through her mind of Shawn trying to ditch Kevin and Therese.  

**********

TBC…


	7. Moonlit Strolls

**_Chapter Seven:  Moonlit Strolls_**

To Stephanie's surprise, Shawn's plan didn't turn out as bad as she thought.  When Shawn bypassed the hotel, Therese leaned up to ask Stephanie about it and she only pointed toward Shawn, not wanting to take any responsibility.  Therese said nothing, contemplating how she would handle the situation once they stopped.  She continued to converse with Kevin to keep any suspicion down.  Upon arrival, Therese was relieved to see a well-lit park dotted with trees and a creek running through it.

They filed out of the vehicle, their conversation down to a whisper.  Therese quickly surveyed the area and clutched her handbag, feeling the outline of her 9mm.  Shawn said something about how they couldn't just end the date with dinner but Therese barely caught any of it as they headed for the walk beside the stream.  If Michaels and Nash had anything to do with the stalker, they were both in trouble.  If not, Stephanie was probably the safest she would ever be.  Shawn was showing an obvious interest in her, friend or otherwise, and gut instinct told her that Stephanie was safe with him.  However, gut instinct would not hold up as an excuse if something did happen.

They stopped for a moment to admire the beauty of the small place.  Shawn glanced over Stephanie's shoulder and winked at Kevin.  Simultaneously, the two put an arm around Stephanie and Therese, respectively, and steered them in opposite directions.  Stephanie reveled in the moment.  Moonlight bounded off of Shawn's hazel eyes and all she could do was stare into them.  Nothing was said between the two of them as they slowly strolled down the sidewalk.

Therese would have killed for it to have been that way for her.  She lost all thought the minute Kevin wrapped his arm around her.  She didn't realize she has stopped breathing until he asked if she was alright.  She nodded and then glanced over her shoulder at Stephanie and Shawn.  They settled on a bench and Therese situated herself so that she could watch them.  They were adorable together.  Stephanie was laughing and Shawn was smiling as if he held the entire world in the palm of his hand.

"She's a big girl, you know," Kevin said when he caught her looking in their direction again.  "She's hardly a freshman in college anymore.  It's amazing how much she's grown up since she started working with her dad and especially since she ran around with D-X."

_Puh__-lease, she's got you fooled too.  _"Yeah, I guess so," Therese muttered.  They were silent for a moment and Nash toyed with one of her blonde curls that the breeze had blown out of place.  Her stomach flipped and she knew she had to start talking or she would lose herself in a moment.  "What does Shawn think about Stephanie?"

"They're good friends.  I know that much."  Kevin watched the two for a moment as Shawn re-enacted some match that had gone embarrassingly wrong in his first days of wrestling.  Stephanie was trying not to laugh but I was obvious that she almost couldn't contain herself.  "They were never particularly close that I'm aware of.  We weren't exactly talking when she was hanging out with Shawn and Hunter.  Yeah, at one point in time, he was a bad influence on her.  Nothing would have changed with or without him."

"What about now?  I mean, he's not going to treat her like he did then or anything?" she questioned, hoping to put her mind at ease about Stephanie being with Shawn.

"Nah, Shawn has changed more than anybody I know.  After his back injury—were you watching wrestling then?"

"Uh, I think.  Either way, I know about it.  Go on."

"Anyway, between the injury and his stint of playing at commissioner, he began to think about his career and realized how stupid and childish he was being.  He kind of got depressed and dropped off the face of this earth.  He's really been a whole new person since I barely got him to come back last year."  Kevin stretched out his legs and turned back to playing with a stray curl again.  They both spoke at the same time.  "Go head," Kevin said first.

"Shawn's got the reputation for being…well, for lack of better words, a heartbreaker.  He wouldn't play with Stephanie, would he?"

"I don't think the heartbreak kid image will ever go way.  Besides, I think he likes it.  But, like I said, he's changed.  He's just a natural flirter.  At least, now, he doesn't make good on his flirts.  He's too much fun to not tease him about it.  Just out of curiosity, why?  Is Stephanie interested in him?"  Therese froze.  She didn't know what to say.  "Doesn't matter.  It's obvious."

Therese sat up straight and stared Nash in the eyes.  She tried to keep her voice calm and steady.  "Whether or not that is true, do not say anything to either one of them.  Shawn does not even need to think she's interested and Stephanie does not need to know that you think so."

"Hold on there.  I wouldn't say anything until I knew for sure about both of them," Kevin responded, holding up his hands.

"Sorry I reacted that way…even after all these years, I still try to protect her," Therese easily lied.

"They do look good together, don't ya think?"  Kevin glanced in their direction again.  They had never left Therese's sight.  The two were quietly talking, Stephanie seeming to pour her heart out over a matter and Shawn raptly listening.

"That's probably the happiest I've seen her since I've started working for her, and, from the looks of it, the happiest she's been in a while."  Therese wasn't lying this time, but it still didn't change her opinion of Stephanie.

"How long has it been since y'all were in school together?"

"Oh my gosh…let's see…It's been five years since she graduated and I finished three years before she did…that's a lot of time."  Nash was quickly doing the math in his head to figure out how old Therese was without having to ask.  He knew she was at least thirty, which made him feel better about going out with her since he thought she was Stephanie's age.

"Boston U…Communications?"

"Yeah, I obviously didn't do anything with it…well, I don't consider eight years of odd jobs doing something with it.  I ran into Stephanie the last time she was in Atlanta for a show.  She offered to hire me in WWE communications but I didn't want to live in Connecticut.  Then, I, uh, kind of fell into some hard times, called her up, and, well, now I'm her personal assistant…I know I didn't go to college just to be a glorified secretary, but, for now, it'll do until I get back on my feet."  _Damn, I'm starting to believe myself, _Therese laughed to herself.  They were silent for a moment, smiling together at Stephanie and Shawn's laugher.  "I wonder what's so fun—"  Kevin started but never finished as Therese darted off the bench and across the way in the direction of the other couple.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Stephanie had never more in her life wanted to be with Shawn Michaels.  It took every fiber of her being not to play in his thick blond curls.  She wasn't sure what he was feeling about her and she wasn't going to take the wrong step now.  She knew she wasn't ready to move on, but she was enraptured by his charisma that she had moved on in those moments in the park.  He made her feel like the moniker of "princess" that she had earned.  Her ex-husband and the stalker were the last things on her mind as she wished her heart away that Shawn would make the first move.  He was telling her another of his crazy stories, this one non-wrestling related, when her mood drastically changed.  

          No one had seen the dark figure moving in the shrubs until he darted out at the couple.  The hooded man decked Shawn from the side and flipped open a switchblade knife.  He demanded their money and Stephanie just held out her purse.  The black-clad form reached for the handbag, but he fell to the ground as Shawn swept his feet out from under him.  The man tumbled into the creek and sprinted off into the trees.  Shawn started to jump the creek but thought twice and turned back to check on Stephanie.  Therese was with her, an arm around her shoulders.  She was slightly shaken but otherwise alright.  "Shawn, I think it's time to go," Therese quietly said when he came back up from the creek bank.  She searched the ground with her eyes for the knife, not knowing if he could have been the stalker since she never heard the demand for money, but nothing was to be found.

          The men instinctively wrapped protective arms around their respective ladies as they headed back to the Explorer.  _Pardon me, but I'm the one acting as security and I have a gun! Therese thought, wanting to fling Nash's arm from her shoulder.  She let him think he was doing her a service and walked across the green to the vehicle.  Once inside, nothing was said between the four of them._

          At the hotel, Therese allowed Stephanie and Shawn to say 'goodbye' to each other without her presence.  "Sorry, it had to end this way, doll."

          "Nothing you could do to stop it…but you were my hero.  You did save me," she said, blushing.

          "I did what anybody would have done," he replied, his cheeks a little flushed also.

          There was an awkward silence for a moment while Stephanie's mind churned.  She wanted to see Shawn again but didn't know how long she was going to be stuck with Therese.  Therese could be her only ticket to him for some time.  "Pick Kevin's mind about Therese and call me.  She's still apprehensive about working for me, so I don't think she'll willingly take time off.  I'll give her a little 'encouragement,'" Stephanie said, winking and glancing in the direction of Therese and Kevin.

          Therese was writing her number down on the back of a receipt and Kevin was broadly smiling at her.  She handed him the paper back and gave him a one-armed hug.  They gave each other a quick kiss on the cheek and Therese came to collect Stephanie.  She thought she was going to have to pull Stephanie off of Shawn as she hugged him far longer than a friend would have.  The four waved 'goodbye' and were off to their respective places.

          Stephanie tried to linger in the lobby as long as she could because she knew what was coming when they got back to their rooms.  She was ready for anything Therese threw out at her but a fight would ruin an otherwise perfect evening.  _Well, not counting an attack by a mugger and the embarrassing "college" stories, she thought.  Therese held Stephanie's door open for her and then slammed it once inside.  Stephanie waited for the harangue but Therese only stalked by.  She tossed her heels rather unceremoniously into a corner and flipped on the television, knowing that she had to find some hockey to take her aggression out on before she took it out on something, or someone, else.  If she hadn't been so pissed, she would have been elated to find Anaheim still in overtime.  Flopping down on the bed, she yelled at a Minnesota player that almost took his opponent's head off._

          Stephanie was beyond confused.  Therese took her head off last week just for opening the patio door, but, now that it was her own fault that she was almost mugged in the park, Therese wasn't saying a word.  Her hope was that Therese was not so angry that she couldn't even speak but that it was something completely different.  What it was, she had to know.  "Can we get this over with so I can go to bed?"

          "Get what over with?" Therese asked, not looking up and throwing a hotel pencil at the television when Minnesota didn't get a penalty called on them for what she thought was a blatant cross-check.

          "Come on.  You are pissed at me and I'm not waiting while you seethe about it and blow it all out of proportion."

          "You want me to yell at you for what happened?  Okay.  What the hell did you think you were doing by going off with Shawn?" she angrily asked, sitting up on the bed and throwing her legs over the side.

          "You were right there.  It's not like I was hiding.  You didn't do anything to stay with me.  Like I couldn't tell you and Kevin were in deep conversation."

          "It was about you!  I was trying to find out whether or not I could trust Shawn."

          "You can trust Shawn," Stephanie replied through clenched teeth.

          "How do we know that?"  Stephanie didn't say anything.  "In case you didn't notice, the second that guy attacked you, I was there."

          "Look, I'm fine.  You got what you wanted in going out tonight.  Everything's fine."

          "_I got what __I wanted?  You only used Kevin to get to go out with Shawn!" Therese yelled, standing up from the bed._

          "You used me to go out with Kevin!" Stephanie flung back.

          "I told him 'no' and you told him 'yes.'"

          "Yeah, and when I changed my mind, you talked me into going anyhow," Stephanie accused, angrily jabbing a finger at her.

          "We are just going to argue in circles.  Yes, I'm pissed at you.  I wasn't talking because it was bad night and I needed to get it out of my system instead of taking it out on you.  But, no, that's not good enough because you just invite misery.  You want me to be constantly yelling at you or belittling you.  That's the only way you know you exist is when you're being abused."

          Stephanie's eyes narrowed in anger and she started to speak but snapped her mouth shut.  Therese stared back, waiting for the other woman to say or do something.  Stephanie turned on her heels and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.  She settled on the cool floor and leaned her head up against the vanity before bursting into tears.  _Maybe she's right.  Maybe I have to be yelled at to make sure I even matter anymore.  Maybe I need a pity party. Maybe I thrive off of pity.  When the sobs finally subsided, she climbed into the shower in hopes of ridding herself of the emotional residue of her pity party._

          Therese didn't try to stop her.  When she heard Stephanie crying, she headed to the bathroom but stopped just shy of knocking.  She didn't have a clue what to say and thought it better that Stephanie just have her cry out.  The only reason she had fought with her was because she was frustrated with herself and Stephanie started pushing her.  She had failed to keep Stephanie safe from a mugger in the park, so how was she supposed to keep her safe from a stalker?  She would be back home in a matter of days and under review—that is if they didn't fire her first.  Then she had said things that she hadn't meant to say.  Just because she believed them to be true didn't give her the right to bring Stephanie to tears with her words.  Therese had planned to apologize to her when she came out of the bathroom but she had fallen asleep before Stephanie was out of the bathroom.

          The next day was one of the tensest days between the two.  Neither spoke to other.  Just when Therese had found the nerve to apologize, Stephanie would be in the middle of something and give her a glare that meant "stay away."  Eventually Therese gave up and left her alone.  After their fight, Stephanie didn't want to talk to her, no matter what she had to say.  She was grateful when Therese gave up trying to speak to her.  She found that she could concentrate on her work better.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

Author's Note:  Sorry to those who expected more of Shawn's plan and that it was less "Shawn-like" and more subtle than normal.


	8. Trouble Presents Itself

**_Chapter Eight:  Trouble Presents Itself_**

Monday was only better because the day was broken up by a lunch date with Stephanie's sister-in-law.  Marissa McMahon had planned her business in Philadelphia when she knew Stephanie would be the closest on the road.  The two barely saw each other beyond holidays and they were anxious to see each other since Shane had confided in Marissa about Stephanie's situation.  Therese was dragged along because Stephanie wanted to spend some time outside of the hotel beyond lunch.

Shane and Marissa had enough to talk about with Stephanie that Therese only had to be present in body.  However, Marissa sensed how left out Therese was feeling and kept pulling her into the conversation.  Therese would have been annoyed except that Marissa had so much charisma that she couldn't be pushed off.  She was the epitome of a classy woman who was beautiful, smart, and courteous.  _No wonder Shane snatched her up_, she thought after Marissa had asked her opinion on some of her business dealings.

If it wasn't for Marissa's appointment, the four of them would have talked all day.  Therese was about to slide into the limo behind Stephanie when she heard her name.  Shawn Michaels jogged over and leaned up against the door, with Kevin Nash walking up from behind.  Stephanie slid around to the seat at the door to stare up at Shawn.

"Hey, doll, how ya doing?" he asked.

Stephanie smiled back.  "Fine.  Wanna come in a minute?" she asked, patting the seat beside her.

"Yeah, just a minute.  We're on our way to the arena right now."  Shawn waited for Therese to move from her protective position in the door.  When she did, Shawn pulled the door closed quickly, leaving her and Nash standing outside the limo.

Therese smiled shyly at Kevin and quietly spoke, "Hi."  He nodded and they both leaned up against the vehicle, not saying anything for a moment.

Kevin finally broke the silence.  "I tried to call you."

"Really?  My phone's working as far as I know."  _Well, that didn't work as well as I thought it would._

"I got another person's voicemail."

She felt so stupid playing dumb.  "Really?  Are you sure you're dialing my number?"  Kevin pulled out the slip of paper that her number was written on and handed it to her.  She glanced at it before saying anything.  "Oh, wait, I transposed the last two numbers.  I'm sorry."  She had done it on purpose, hoping to dissuade him, but having a back-up plan in case he confronted her about it.  She truly didn't think he would bother seeking her out for her real number.

"It's okay.  I'm glad I saw you so I could get it right."  She pulled a pen out of the inside of her jacket pocket and corrected the transposition as he talked.  "So, when are we going out next?" he casually asked.

"I don't know.  It depends on the boss and when she'll let me have time off.  I'll get on her and, when you call, I'll let you know."

"Sure," Nash replied just as the limo door opened.  Shawn slid out and gave Stephanie a peck on the cheek.  He flashed Therese a brilliant smile.

"Sorry to drag your man away—"

"He's not—"

"—but we're on our way to the arena.  Gonna be late if we don't get a move on," Shawn finished and started dragging Kevin away.  They gave each other a shy smile before the two disappeared.

Shawn's report to Stephanie had been exactly what she wanted to hear.  Kevin had been a little upset that he couldn't get through to Therese on the number she gave.  When Shawn noticed, Kevin had finally admitted that he would like to see her again, but that was all Shawn was able to pull out of him.  Knowing that, Stephanie knew she could set them up for another doubledate and possibly get Therese away long enough for her to be absolutely alone with Shawn.  After their date, Stephanie could think of nothing but Shawn.  Her previous thoughts of not being ready to move on were completely forgotten.  His kiss on her cheek had made her flush and Therese immediately noticed.

"Did more go on in here than just that innocent kiss?"

Stephanie's cheeks grew darker as she proclaimed emphatically, "No!"  Therese let a snort escape after seeing the look on her face.  "It's not funny!" she protested.

Therese was about to come back with another smart-alecky comment but her cell phone rang.  Glancing at the screen, she answered, "This is Blair."  Therese kept saying "yes" over and over and then finally hung up.  "Good news," She sarcastically said.  "The only traceable fingerprints on the envelope and letter besides yours and Shane's have been identified."  Stephanie's face lit up.  "However, they belonged to the mailboy.  He was arrested when he was a teenager on a charge that was later dropped, so his prints were on file."

"What are you doing about it?" Stephanie quickly interjected.

"Some strings will be pulled and we'll have Shane try to get him moved to another department."

"Why don't you arrest him and throw him in jail?"

"He is the mail carrier.  How else did the mail get there?  There is no proof against him.  We have to wait."  After these words, Stephanie lapsed into silence for the evening.  Therese knew from Stephanie's silence that she was concerned for her safety.  Therese felt guilty for having an internal private party that she still held her job and wasn't under review either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In a week and a half, Therese had only been able to talk with her brother once.  The rest was spent playing phone tag, if one could call it that.  Vera, his "babysitter," Therese knew better than to call her that around Evan, had apparently taken it upon herself to keep him busy.  She left messages at both Vera's and their apartments and Evan would take two days to call her back and always when she was in the middle of something that would not let her answer her phone.  At least she knew he was okay.  Somehow, some way, she managed to catch him at their apartment when Vera took him by to pick up some more of his things.

"I saw you Thursday night!  How cool was that!  My sister was on TV!" He loudly proclaimed even though no one but Vera could hear him.

"Thanks, Evan.  You've told me that already."

"Yeah, but it was so cool, I had to say it again.  You gonna be on there tomorrow night?" he casually asked.

"Not if I can help it," she sighed in reply.

"Who are you gonna wrestle first?" he asked as if it was an everyday question.

She sighed at his question.  "You know what I'm here for and that's not it."

"Yeah, but I can hope, can't I?"

"Don't waste your hope on that.  You're better off hoping for the Devils to win the Cup," she said off-handedly trying to get a rise out of him.

"Which ain't gonna happen!" The boy yelled, almost at the top of his lungs.  

"I know, I know.  Apparently, you didn't see Saturday's game because no one answered the phone when I called," she added, raising her voice but adding a smile.

"Oh, yeah, um.  Sorry.  So tell me about everybody," he enthusiastically asked, trying to change the subject.

Therese wasn't about to break his heart over his one of his idols—Stephanie McMahon.  However, he was elated to know that Roddy Piper was just as arrogant backstage as he was on and that Sean O'Haire was just as creepy in person.  Yes, A-Train's back was just as hairy as it appeared and, yes, Torrie Wilson was as perfect as he thought.  She wasn't about to tell him that she was as stupid as she was pretty.  She also didn't tell him that Nidia was not as dumb as people thought, just very Southern.  He ate up hearing about Vince McMahon.  He was the person that Evan loved to hate.  If McMahon wasn't doing something evil, he could care less about him.  As to his favorite wrestler, the Undertaker, she couldn't report anything.

Quickly getting over the disappointment, Evan asked if she had by chance gotten to meet anyone from RAW.  She didn't think it could hurt by answering.  Eric Bischoff was a slime, to which Evan readily agreed.  Shawn Michaels was just as cute in person, to which he made a very disgusting noise.  The only person left from RAW that she had met was Kevin Nash.  Evan immediately asked if the "old has been" was with the "Heart Stank Kid."  She smiled at him, knowing that he if met them or got to know them, they would fast become his favorites.  He only disliked them because they drove girls wild.  "Yes, Evan, _Big Sex-xy, was right there.  You know, he has this incredible butt on him that I never noticed before.  I just wanted to reach out and grab it."  Evan made choking noises.  "No, wait, I just wanted to sink my teeth right in and never let go."  By this time, he was yelling incoherent words that she took to mean "I'm not listening."  She quit talking and waited for him to realize that she had stopped.  It took a few moments._

"Don't ever do that again," he said in exasperation.

"I won't, I promise," Therese barely said through her laughter.    "I'll call you again soon.  Okay?"

"Okay," he answered quietly, as if disappointed.

To try to make up the time for being away, she quickly added, "Tell Vera that she can use my credit card to order the pay-per-view."

"I get to watch the pay-per-view?"  His attitude quickly changed.

"Yeah.  Brock Lesnar is ripping the Big Show in half and Triple H is gonna plow right through Kevin Nash.  You don't want to miss that, do you?"

"You betcha Torrie Wilson's sweet booty I don't.  You're the best big sis ever!"  With his reply, she could tell he was acting like a little kid and dancing across the living room floor.

"Now, why can't you be the best little brother ever?"

"I thought I already was," he replied in a pouty voice.

She had to laugh at him.  "If Vera is willing to put up with all your friends, invite them over to our apartment for the show.  Don't go overboard on buying food though.  NO chocolate!"

"Aww, Mom."

"Don't 'aww, Mom' me.  It's not too far from your bed time.  Now, hurry up and get to sleep.  Love you, babe," she said and popped a kiss.

"You, too—oh, wait.  If you see Kevin Nash again, tell him that I said he ain't got enough left in him to beat up Terry Funk."

"Evan!"

"'Night!" He quickly said and hung up before she could give it back to him.  _Oh, I bet Nash has enough left in him to beat Triple H.  His butt has enough to do it, that's for sure…Therese, girl!  What is it with you and this man?  She wasn't sure.  There had only been the one date and they had spoken three times.  Beyond the unsavory circumstances of the night, she had truly enjoyed being with Kevin.  Because of that, she knew that the relationship couldn't work unless she was willing to lie to him.  Another lie wouldn't hurt, so she scribbled down the wrong number.  It was better than being mean to him and running him off.  She had definitely not expected him to try to get her real number.  _

Now, she had to make another decision, well, actually, the same decision again.  What to do about Kevin Nash?  If only they had met under other circumstances, she would have gladly agreed to a date.  He obviously liked her enough to ask her out again, but did he like her or did he like Stephanie's personal assistant?  Surely, it had to just be her and her personality.  Yeah, they talked about her job and her "made-up" life, but, otherwise, she had just been herself.  Therese resigned herself to play hard to get and see if that deterred him.

She had just set the cell phone down from her call to Evan when the phone rang out again playing the James Bond theme.  The ID didn't register the name of the caller and she hesitantly answered.

"Hi.  It's me, Kevin."  _Like I could mistake that voice, she thought to herself.  "Bet you didn't think I would actually call?"  _

She laughed at his joke.  "I just thought you wanted it to add to your collection.  Everyone has got to have some kind of hobby."

Kevin softly laughed in return.  "So what _is _your hobby?"

"Keeping Stephanie sane, I guess," she sighed.

"That is exactly why we need to get you out of there to do nothing sometime.  When are y'all going to be in Charlotte?" he asked.

"Early Saturday.  You?"

"Yeah, Shawn and I'll get there sometime that afternoon.  I've got to start early in preparing for this match."

"You will be fine.  I have no doubt that you could take him easily.  And that's not biased because of Steph's ex-husband," she added with the roll of her eyes.

"What makes it worse is that he _was my best friend.  There's a difference between tough love and having to beat the hell out of man that you once trusted with your life," he said a little angrily._

"I'm truly glad I've never had to deal with that and I hope to never have to."

They talked for a few minutes about the up-coming match but then slipped into silence.  Kevin finally spoke up.  "I guess it's too much to hope for dinner Saturday night?"

"I'm sorry.  With it being the night before Judgment Day, I think Stephanie's going to have me busier than I've been so far.  Besides, you don't need me as a distraction before your match."

"Trust me.  You wouldn't be a distraction," he replied in a low voice.  Therese inwardly sighed at how sweet he was being.

"I can be more trouble than you think," she barely squeaked out.

On the other end of the line, Kevin smiled and thought to himself, _No, more than **you **know.  _"Maybe I'll see you Sunday.  Watch my match."  

Therese ended the connection and almost giggled at the warm fuzzy feeling Kevin's voice gave her.  She chastised herself for being a thirty-one-year old woman acting like a sixteen-year old girl.  She had to stick to her resolve.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next Thursday went smoother before the show.  Everyone knew Therese and she and Stephanie had already walked the road once.  But as always, trouble presented itself.  The bouquets arrived in time for Stephanie to give her father the speech about one being from Hogan and the other being from Mr. America.  Stephanie had smugly written the cards herself.  In the aftermath of McMahon smashing the vases, Stephanie went back to retrieve the cards for fear of the incriminating evidence.  Picking up one of the envelopes, she noticed one was different.  Opening it up, she found a small memo on WWE stationary with a typed note.

Therese knew what it was from the look of horror on Stephanie's face before she even finished reading it.  She held it out to her, trying to form words but her tongue wouldn't work.  Therese quickly took it and guided her to a seat.  She took Stephanie's hand in hers as she read over the paper.  Nothing was new except that the author added a comment about being jealous over her date and how he wouldn't mind using Therese to get to Stephanie.  Therese wanted to shout "Bring it on!"  She really wanted to get hold of this stalker now.

Stephanie tried to put up a good front by thanking Hogan for the flowers.  Then came the incident with Roddy Piper and the fan with the prosthetic leg.  Stephanie did not want to even think about the repercussions from this.  She agreed that the fan had no business running into the ring, but Piper had committed worse than the fan had by ripping off his prosthetic leg.  The situation was not good.

Vince was livid.  Piper's job was to find a way to unmask Hogan.  Piper's Pit was a perfect method that that kid had destroyed.  Piper was apologizing left and right about pulling the fan's leg off, which made McMahon even angrier.  He demanded Piper apologize to him for not getting the job done.  The forked-tongue Hot Rod smoothed the situation over with Vince without apologizing and without repercussions for the "incident" and he also managed to work his way into a match at Judgment Day with Hogan.  Vince was appeased and Piper was ecstatic.

The younger McMahon present quietly sat behind her desk and let the two middle-aged men have it out over the situation.  If they could placate themselves, it would be less work on her part.  She began trying to figure out what they would need to do about this fan that was now in the backstage area with Hogan, awaiting a response from management.  He was already getting the grand tour of what went on behind the Titantron and meeting all the wrestlers that would have anything to do with Mr. America.  By the time Piper and McMahon had come to a conclusion, Stephanie had decided on monetary recompense, along with an initial figure to offer the fan and his family.  She realized that she didn't even know a name to make the check out to and decided she would talk with the young man before offering anything.

Piper walked out of her office with a maniacal laugh and Vince turned to her.  She was about to make an excuse to get away from him when he started in on her about what they were going to do.  Quietly but sternly, she spoke, "I have this under control.  I will take care of it."

McMahon gave her an "oh, really" look.  "Alright.  I'll let you play mediator.  I won't every piece of paperwork on this situation hand-delivered to me _by you _on Monday night in Greenville."

"Wait, Dad.  I don't have plans to be in Greenville."

"You do now," he replied with a smile, folding his arms across his chest before walking out the door with his cocky stride.

Stephanie sighed and shook her head.  She looked up at Therese who was now closing her laptop after "taking notes" on the situation.  "Therese, I know you have enough to do, but can I have a favor from you this once?"

Therese smugly smiled to herself, wishing she could beam it at Stephanie.  Stephanie would rather eat dirt than ask for her help and Therese knew it.  "Yes.  What?"

"Would you mind changing our flights and hotel reservations for me?"

"Sure, I'll get on it now."

"Well, actually, I was hoping to take care of something else first.  I need to go talk to this 'fan.'"  The two of them went in search of the teenager and Hogan.  The dark-haired boy's face lit up at seeing Stephanie approach him.  It was easy to get him away from the other wrestlers so that they could talk.  Finally, Zach Gowen's name was known.  He told her of his family, why he lost his leg, and, most importantly, he told of his dreams.  A plan was beginning to formulate in Stephanie's head.  No, she wouldn't have to offer him monetary compensation.  She had a much better idea when she offered him an all-expense-paid trip to SmackDown!'s show next week, along with his own interview to tell the story that he had just related to her.  Gowen readily agreed and not the smallest amount of guilt passed through Stephanie's body.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

Author's Note:  The episode I needed for this chapter was recorded over by a person I won't name but is intimately kin to me (i.e. my husband).  There may well be discrepancies between the chapter and the actual episodes.  Please, let me know.  

Sorry this chapter has been a long in getting posted.  I've just come off of mid-terms and I'm still recovering parts of the document I lost on my disk.


	9. Emotional Encounters

**_Chapter IX:  Emotional Encounters_**

****

Stephanie thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown.  The weekend of a pay-per-view was always hell.  That never included pulling together false paperwork for her father to prove that she had handled a particular incident to his liking.  She knew that the elder McMahon would not be happy to find out that he had been lied to.  However, she could care less.  She was the general manager of SmackDown! and had the authority to do as she pleased.  If Vince had a problem with it, well, it would be too late.  The stressed woman only hoped that she would live to see next Thursday.  That had more meanings than one.  

When the scurry of the day died down and the only noise was Therese's television, Stephanie could only think of what those sounds meant.  She was terrified of what could happen to her.  Now, the only time she felt safe was in her hotel room.  The flight to North Carolina made her so nervous that she couldn't get any work done on the plane.  After that, she found no reason to need to step foot out of the room.  _Shawn_ would have been the only reason.

Michaels called her Saturday to check on her.  Somehow he knew when she was up to her ears in work and about to vent her frustration on the nearest object.  He listened patiently as Stephanie let everything go about Thursday's incident and the preparation for Judgment Day.  When Stephanie was tired of ranting, she apologized for him having to listen to her.  

"Hey, princess, we all need someone to just let us vent every once and a while.  Therese not listening to you?"

"She's too busy," Stephanie sighed.

"I can't imagine what you would be going through right now if you didn't have her because the way you have her so busy," Shawn said with an apologizing tone.

Stephanie rolled her eyes.  _Outside of her assigned job, she's a useless lump._  "Yeah, I don't know where I'd be without her."

"Let's go out and get some late-night drinks.  You need something to help you relax and sleep."

Stephanie glanced at the clock.  She really could use a drink and Shawn would keep her safe.  She entertained the thought of sneaking out but thought of what could easily happen on the other side of the hotel door.  Fear kept her on this side.  "I'm going to pass this time.  I'll see you tomorrow.  Okay?  Stop by the office.  Bring Kevin…as if the two of you are inseparable."

"You know he called her this week?" Shawn lightly inquired.

"Really?" Stephanie straightened up in her seat.  "Give me the gossip."

"I wish I had some to give.  I just know he did it and that it went okay."

"Trust me.  I'll find out.  As a matter of fact, I'll find out now.  See you tomorrow."  Stephanie placed her cell phone beside her laptop and immediately headed for Therese's door that was perpetually ajar.  She caught her with her nose in a book, which highly surprised her.  With a knock on the door, Therese closed her book and beckoned Stephanie in.  Her surprise dissipated when she saw that it was a Harry Potter book.  "I hear someone got a call this week," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Um, yeah, I got several calls this week.  I do have friends and family," Therese sarcastically noted.

"And a boyfriend?" Stephanie coaxed.

"If you're talking about Kevin, you've put him in the wrong category."  She re-opened her book in hopes of dissuading Stephanie from the congregation.

"Tell me about it," the younger woman prodded.

Therese muted the Ottawa-New Jersey hockey game and dropped the remote control beside her.  "There's not much to tell.  We talked about his match, talked about when we might see each other next."

"When?"

"Well, probably tomorrow since it's the pay-per-view," she said with a shrug.

"Oh…well, okay, goodnight."  With that, Stephanie abruptly left the room.  She and Shawn needed to start devising ways to get them together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About an hour before the beginning of Judgment Day, Stephanie retired to her office to rest her feet from scurrying about to make sure that her part of the evening went as it should.  No matter how much she delegated, there was always work that had to been done the day of a pay-per-view.  She kicked off her heels and lay down across the maroon couch.  Her fear was dissipating as she got into the swing of her work.  Therese settled at Stephanie's desk, leaned back in the chair, and propped up her feet.  She was already tired and could only imagine how Stephanie was feeling.  

The two of them had almost drifted into a light nap when a knock sounded at the door.  Stephanie suddenly sat up, causing her to tumble from the couch.  Startled, Therese sent her chair backward, almost sending her head over heels.  "I've got it," she said, righting herself and striding to the door.  They were both giving each other a 'you didn't see that, so don't comment' look.  "Who is it?" she called, lightly but audible through the metal door.

"Ima!" a rough masculine voice called back.  

Stephanie giggled.  "It's Shawn," she whispered.  "Play along."

Rolling her eyes, Therese asked, "Ima who?"

"Ima comin' in!"  The door handle turned and a thud sounded on the other side.  "Or maybe not," the dejected voice added.

"It's locked.  Just a second," Therese laughed and slowly turned the stiff deadbolt.  Shawn Michaels stood on the other side, rubbing his forehead.  He beamed a goofy grin at her and walked by while she held the door for Kevin, who rolled his eyes at Shawn and smiled at Therese.  Shawn hugged Stephanie before taking a seat on the edge of her desk.  She sat down in her over-sized leather chair and daintily crossed her legs.  Therese purposefully took the only arm chair, leaving Nash the sofa.

"We just wanted to come by and see the two perrttiest women in wrestling."  _Did he just say 'perrtty'? _Therese thought to herself.  

Stephanie gave him a flattered smile.  "Coming from the two self-proclaimed sexist men in wrestling, I'll take that as a compliment," she purred.

Therese couldn't even believe she had even spoken until the words came out of her mouth.  "Kevin, how's it going getting ready?"

"Taking it slow.  Thought I'd take a break and come by to see you."  She couldn't help but smile.  

"If he hadn't taken a break soon, I was gonna leave him.  I am tired," Shawn said, dramatically falling across Stephanie's desk in a fake swoon.  Stephanie playfully swatted at him and he pulled himself back up.  "I don't keep up with SmackDown!  What's going on tonight?"

Stephanie talked animatedly about the upcoming matches while Therese and Kevin kept stealing glances at one another, thinking the other hadn't noticed.  He looked really annoyed at Shawn and Stephanie continually talking, so Therese threw all caution to the wind and went over to sit beside him, slipping out of her heels and tucking her feet up under her.  "I'll be glad when this is all over with," she whispered.

"Me too.  It's not everyday I have a match of this caliber," he sighed.  His golden brown eyes gave away his weariness and struggle over the match with a man to whom he was once close.  He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch.

"Tired?" she asked.  _Duh, stupid, keep trying to make small talk like that and you'll definitely get rid of him._

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Let me help," she said before she had realized the words had come out.  He raised his head to ask her what she meant but she stopped him.  "No, lean back."  Without question, he rested his neck on the crook of the cushion.  Rising up on her knees to reach his face, she lightly traced her fingertips around his eyes and across his temple and forehead.  The wrinkles seemed to melt away with the gentle massage.  "Does that help?"

"Hhmmm…"  She took that as a 'yes' and laughed softly.  In that moment, Nash would have taken her home with him if for nothing but to do this every night.  All he could think of was her cool fingertips drawing out his anxiety and physical weariness.

"Let me know when you want me to stop," she said, shifting one of her knees for better balance where it rested against his thigh by accident.

"Never," he muttered, soaking up every bit of her touch as he could.  After a moment or two, they both realized that the room was entirely silent.  Therese turned around as Kevin leaned up to see Shawn and Stephanie watching them.  

The couple at the desk immediately turned to each other and started talking at the same time.  They had been so engrossed in their conversation that they never noticed Therese settle on the couch with Nash.  Shawn had hushed Stephanie in mid-sentence and pointed at the two on the sofa.  He looked down at her from he sat on the desk and grinned at Stephanie.  She returned the smile and they both turned back to look at Therese and Kevin just as the two caught them.  Stephanie was thinking about how cute they were and was wondering if she could pull off the same trick on Shawn just to touch his handsome face.

Embarrassed, Therese sat back down, tucking herself in the corner of the couch and growing silent.  Nash rubbed his hands across his eyes trying to wake himself from the blissful oblivion in which he had almost fallen.  He glanced at his watch and then over to Therese.  "I really need to be going.  Thanks so much.  That helped more than you know."

"You're welcome," she replied shyly.

"Shawn, bud, I'm leaving.  You coming with me?" he called out, standing up.

"Yeah, I better," he answered.  Therese scrambled up to get her shoes on and to open the door.  Shawn kissed Stephanie on the cheek and tweaked her on the ear.  "See ya, doll."  Shawn winked at Therese as she shut the door behind them.

Therese leaned up against the door and sighed as Stephanie leaned back in her chair and sighed.  They glanced at each other and began laughing.  "Someone's going soft," Stephanie chanted.

"Am not," Therese retorted, flopping down on the couch.  "Well, now what?"

"Let's go back out and run through the checklist one last time.  The first match of the night is ours."

With the last walk-through, the two withdrew to the safety of Stephanie's office since the staff from _both shows were so numerous, along with the possibilities of the stalker being present.  Stephanie watched the monitor and made notes throughout the show, including the RAW matches.  With the review of the Intercontinental belt's history, Stephanie muttered a curse under her breath and threw the Styrofoam cup of water sitting on her desk across the room.  Therese glared at her for such insensitivity to a quite moving moment.  "They're just doing that to get back at me for introducing the U.S. belt on SmackDown!" Stephanie yelled._

"You're bringing back the U. S. belt?"

"That _was_ my intention.  Bischoff found out!  Somehow, someway, that bastard found out!  I will kill him!"  Not satisfied with the water puddle on the floor, she threw her pen at the calla lily plant in the corner.  

Therese retrieved the pen and set it back on the desk.  "You know, that plant did nothing to you."

"Just shut up!" Stephanie bit out.

"Look, I know you're pissed off, but you could try not taking it out on the people around you," the blonde casually remarked.

"Oh, excuse me, Miss Anger Management."

"You know what, I _am_ going to shut up, not because you told me to but because I'm not in the mood to beat the hell out of you," Therese indifferently commented, picking up a magazine on the coffee table.

"You're not in the mood to—"

The knock preempted what could have been a great impromptu match.  Therese answered the door to find Mr. America on the other side.  "Miss Blair, right?"

"Yes, but you can call me Therese."  She wasn't a fan of Hulk Hogan but she had to give him credit for being the star that he was and for the road he had paved for professional wrestling.  She deemed it an honor that he remembered her name.

"Is Ms. McMahon here?"  She nodded in response.  "May I come in?"  She glanced back at Stephanie and the brunette nodded her assent.  

"Yes, please."  

"Thank you."  Hogan stepped in and pulled the mask from his head when the door was shut.  He held the colored mask in front of him as if he was a bit nervous.  Stephanie greeted him and he shifted nervously from one foot to the other in his reply.

"What can I do for you today?" Stephanie smiled at him and folded her hands on the desk.

"I, uh, I brought Zach Gowen with me tonight," he answered glancing up at her.

"I guess that's—"

"I know I should have asked you first but I was afraid you would say 'no.'  I understand if you're mad at me, but I really thought he should be here tonight," Hogan added with sweeping gestures.

Stephanie quickly came around from behind the desk and laid a hand on his arm.  "It's okay.  Yes, I wish you would have run it by me first, but it couldn't hurt.  Just keep him out of trouble.  Deal?"  She smiled at him.  He grinned back, pulled the mask back over his head, and saw himself out the door.

The visit had taken the previous verbal assault off the women's minds and they settled back into their comfortable silence.  However, silence was not characteristic of the room when Mr. America went out to the ring _with Zach Gowen before his match with Roddy Piper._

Between clenched teeth, Stephanie muttered, "I told him to keep that boy out of trouble."  Just as quickly as she was angered, a smile spread across her face.  While her father would be even more incensed at her, this would boost ratings later on without her having to even try.  People were going to get behind Zach and, in turn, support Hogan.  Having signed Hogan was continually looking up.  Now, all he had to do was keep his mask on.  Stephanie rooted for Hogan throughout the match as if she was another wrestling fan.  With Gowen's interference, Mr. America won the match against the odds of Piper, O'Haire, and McMahon.  "I'm sure my dad is coming directly to me.  Let's go find something else to do."

"But Kevin's match is next," Therese protested.

"We'll watch it somewhere else," Stephanie replied, grabbing the other woman's hand and tugging her out the door.  They turned the corner at her office to see Hunter Hearst Helmsley coming down the hall.  Therese immediately turned around to go in the opposite direction, thinking Stephanie was right behind her.  It only took a few steps for her to realize that her client was not by her side.  With a deep breath, she turned around to see Stephanie standing with Triple H.

When Stephanie saw her ex-husband, she felt like there was a tractor beam between him and herself.  Knowing his match was next, something propelled her towards him.  She has seen what he was capable of when he put Shawn in a wheel-chair last summer, so she could only imagine what Nash was capable of doing to him.  She didn't know what she was going to say when she stopped him.  An encouragement to be careful was all she could get out before getting choked up.  He acknowledged her and they parted ways.

Therese stomped up to her.  "What the hell were you doing?"

Stephanie put a hand up to stop her.  "I don't want to hear it.  Scold me and mete out my punishment for another time.  I have bigger things to worry about than you could imagine."

Therese was about to light into her for that comment but the tears in the woman's blue eyes made her stop.  "Why torture yourself?"

"I don't know," she said, wiping a tear away that made it half-way down her cheek.

"Let's go watch the match, okay?  Where do you want to go?"

Stephanie led the way as they continued to talk.  "I know he doesn't deserve my attention, just as much I don't deserve his.  He could have completely ignored me when I stopped him, but I had to tell him to be careful.  Nash could literally kill him.  I don't hate him that much.  A part of me will always love him and that part is not ready to move on.  If he can do that to me just by his presence, I can't date anyone else."

"Don't think of like that," Therese replied, hooking her elbow with Stephanie's like they were good friends.  "Yes, you got burned in your marriage but at least you were mature enough to own up to your mistakes and end it instead of killing each other.  Would it ever work between the two of you again?  Was that what you thought when you stopped him?"  

"I don't know what I thought would happen by talking to Hunter.  But I do know this, our relationship, us together, we could never happen again.  What he has become now…he's not the same person I fell in love with."  They stopped before a monitor that some production assistants abandoned when the two arrived.

"Exactly.  So why keep reliving your past with him?  Make a new past."

"With who?  Shawn?" Stephanie responded with a sarcastic laugh.  

"You don't need anyone to make new memories with.  If it's Shawn, so be it," Therese answered as encouragingly as she could.

"I'm not ready.  It wouldn't be fair to him that I can't give myself over to a relationship with him."

"Tell him what you're thinking," Therese urged.

"Are you crazy?" Stephanie retorted with a furrowed brow.

"Be friends.  Go out, have fun, enjoy being together.  If it turns to more for the both of you, then good.  If not, you still have your friendship, a friendship that will probably have deepened by then."

"Do you write newspaper columns or something?" the co-GM asked with a half-smile.

"The bigger things that you have going on that I can't imagine, maybe I can."

"I'm sorry, I—"

Therese quickly interrupted.  "Let's just watch the match, okay?"  They turned their attention to the two behemoths trying to slaughter each other.  Triple H looked like he was just trying to survive.  Once Hunter earned himself a disqualification by hitting the referee with sledgehammer, Nash took his vengeance out on his opponent.  They were both amazed when Shawn tried to stop Nash from powerbombing Helmsley through the announce table and were even more surprised when Nash pushed Michaels away.  With a satisfied look on his visage, Nash stalked off the stage.  With the match over, backstage activity picked up and the two moved on.

Therese was pushing the office door closed when Vince McMahon slammed it back open, knocking her into the wall.  What she wouldn't have given to sweep his feet out from under him and then stomp his head in.  She held in her urges and went to stand beside Stephanie since it was obvious that the man was angrier than normal, if that was possible with the WWE chairman.

"What in God's name were you thinking?!" he shouted at her.

"About what?" she said innocently but extremely convincing.

"I thought you were handling the Gowen incident."  McMahon planted his hands firmly on the desk and leaned across it, staring her down.

"I did.  He took my offer and I sent him home that night," she nonchalantly replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Your offer?  _That _was your offer?"  He pointed behind him in the general direction of the ring.  "I ought to kill you myself."  With that comment, Therese slipped a hand inside her jacket to toy with cold metal.  She didn't think that he was the culprit behind the letters but she wasn't taking any chances.

"No, that was _not _my offer.  That was all Mr. America's idea that I had _nothing _to do with."

"Mr. America?  Come on, Steph.  Why do you insist on being so stupid?" he asked condescendingly.  

"Why can't you leave well enough alone?  The contract with Mr. America is binding and there is nothing _no one _can do about it now.  I was just as surprised as you when I found out that Zach Gowen was here.  We can't change that either.  Now, if you have something to say regarding a situation that can be changed, I'm willing to listen.  Otherwise, you can leave my office and I'm going to do the job that I was hired for.  I will see _you _next Thursday."  Vince McMahon was so flabbergasted at her cool speech that he just stalked out and slammed the door.  She knew that he would be back next week trying to control someone or something else.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note:  I did not have Judgment Day recorded, so this chapter was written off of recaps I found on the Internet.  If you catch a mistake, e-mail me and let me know!  Thanks everybody!


	10. Strawberry, Chocolate, or Vanilla?

_**Chapter X: Strawberry, Chocolate, or Vanilla? With Sprinkles?**_

Therese survived her first pay-per-view and was not looking forward to the first full SmackDown! pay-per-view. Stephanie had fallen silent after their talk about Triple H and the subsequent verbal attack by her father and was still not talking much as they readied to leave the arena. Therese didn't try to pull the thoughts out of her again, being positive that they were still the same. She wasn't sure but maybe a little sympathy was creeping in as she thought of ways to perk Stephanie up. McDonald's always took care of Evan, but she knew Stephanie would _not _be so easily satisfied with a Happy Meal. A big bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup always did her well. Stephanie carefully watched what she ate, rarely indulging herself. Therese wasn't much better, but when ice cream was needed, no further thought was given to it. However, she didn't want to offend Stephanie by having ice cream sent up through room service. Maybe she just didn't like sweets or was allergic to chocolate. Therese realized that she knew very little about Stephanie the person, only about Stephanie the General Manager, the…_well, I'll leave Jericho's and Triple H's words in the past._

The limo pulled up outside the hotel and the chauffer held the door for them. Once on the sidewalk, Therese casually asked, "You like ice cream?"

"Well, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Therese commented as they headed into the lobby. "I'm a fan of vanilla myself. You seem to be a chocolate person to me?"

"Actually, I do like chocolate but prefer my ice cream to be strawberry." Stephanie eyed her funny.

Therese kept talking as if they were having a normal conversation about nothing. "Interesting…" The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. "Sprinkles?"

"Sprinkles?" Stephanie echoed.

"Yeah, do you like sprinkles on your ice cream too?"

Stephanie smiled. "Who doesn't?"

"Je ne sais pas," Therese responded.

"Moi aussi."

"You speak French?" Both of them threw out at the same time.

"Go ahead," Therese said, gesturing towards Stephanie.

"I can speak French fairly fluently. I was sort of groomed to be the 'ambassador' between French-speaking Canada and our offices. I only speak 'proper' French. I can't speak slang. Et tous?" Stephanie answered, eagerly.

"I don't really _speak_ French. I can do enough to survive for a week in Paris."

"Wow, we have something in common besides wrestling," Stephanie commented. "All hell is going to break loose now," she added, quietly laughing.

After the rooms were clear, the two went about their ways of settling in for the night. Stephanie was mentally and physically exhausted. However, she was still in GM mode, making mental notes about the show while critiquing it. She groaned out loud when there was a knock at her door. Therese bounded around the corner, yelling, "Coming." She checked the peephole and turned to Stephanie.

* * *

"You ready, man?" Nash asked, pulling a black T-shirt over his head and smoothing down his still damp hair.

"I changed my mind. I'm not going," Shawn replied, flipping through channels on the television.

"I said I'm sorry. What else do you want me to do? I didn't realize it was you. I was tossing _everybody _out of the way." Nash held out his hands apologetically.

"I know," Shawn said indifferently.

"You're not mad at me for putting Hunter through that table, are you?"

"No," Shawn replied, tossing aside the remote control and focusing on the television show.

"You want to talk to me in complete sentences?" Kevin asked, sitting down on the side of his bed that was closest to the other one.

Shawn rapidly spoke. "I am not mad at you for pushing me aside. I accept your apology even though there is no need for one. I am not made at you for putting him through the table. I didn't think it was necessary—"

"Even after what he did to you at SummerSlam last year?" Nash asked, his voice rising a little in anger.

"That's another issue for another day. I just changed my mind, that's all." Shawn's eyes stayed focused on the television.

"No, that's not all," Kevin replied, getting up and heading over to the closet. "I know you, Shawn, more than you realize. Give it up." Nash picked up a shirt off the shelf and tossed it at him. "Get dressed while you talk."

"Are you that desperate to see her?"

"Just talk," Kevin demanded, pulling on a pair of socks.

"She's still got something for Triple H." Shawn finally looked over at Kevin but only for a brief moment.

"Stephanie?"

"Who else?"

"How do you know?" Nash asked, settling back on the bed.

"She stopped him before y'all's match and was making eyes at him." He shifted his pillows to avoid eye contact.

"And because of this, she's still wants him?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"You're an idiot," Nash answered, shaking his head.

"You enjoy reminding me of that every day, don't you?" Michaels cracked a small smile.

"Are you saying you like her?" The smile was quickly wiped away.

"No. I just don't want her to think I'm trying to get into her pants and then her feel all bad about it because she's still in love with her ex-husband," Shawn quickly replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No," Kevin remarked nonchalantly.

"'No' what?" Shawn rolled over on his side to face Kevin.

"No. You like her."

"Can we act our age here? Besides, does it matter?" Shawn asked, flipping over to his other side, facing away from Kevin.

"Something matters because you were 'all fired up' to go earlier and now you don't want to."

"It's exactly as I said. I don't want her to think that I'm preying on her vulnerability since she obviously had an emotional run-in with him earlier," Shawn responded over his shoulder at Kevin.

"Can it," Nash replied, throwing Shawn's flip-flops at him. "Let's go." Michaels sullenly agreed and slid off the bed to follow Kevin out the door. The farther down the hall he got, the more he cheered up and was almost back to his bouncy self when they arrived at their destination.

* * *

When Therese went to answer the door, it wasn't exactly the surprise she had been waiting for. "Stephanie, it's Kevin and Shawn."

"Just a minute," Stephanie yelled out loud and frantically glanced around the room. She then whispered, "Help me." Therese hadn't a clue what to do, so she stacked files and cleared off the table. Stephanie threw miscellaneous articles into her suitcase and then pulled out a red satin robe to draw over her black gauzy nightgown. From her cue, Therese opened the door to be face to face with a grinning Shawn and a fanned out deck of cards waving in front of his chest.

"We already gave at the office," Therese said and started to shut the door. When Shawn's mouth dropped open, she beamed a smile at him and pulled the door back open. Shawn strode into the room and wrapped Stephanie up in a hug. Therese smiled shyly at Kevin and she gestured for him to come in. "How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Great right now. Still too much adrenaline pumping. Ask me tomorrow and you'll get a different answer."

Stephanie gestured for the two men to have a seat at the table. Therese pulled in another chair from her room and asked Stephanie if she wanted it. When she accepted it, Therese settled on the edge of the bed since there was little room around the table. Kevin pulled the table closer to the bed and they all shifted chairs.

Shawn shuffled the cards as he spoke. "So, what are you ladies up to?" Stephanie flipped her belt robe at him with a 'what do you think?' look. "I guess we've interrupted your beauty sleep."

"I thought you told me that I didn't need any," Stephanie said with a grin.

"Yeah, but no matter how many times you tell a woman she's beautiful, she still doesn't believe it." For someone talking about beauty, they weren't shining pillars of it at the moment. However, they were adorable in lounge/pajama pants. Stephanie thought that Shawn was just too much with his bare feet in yellow flip-flops.

Shawn was still shuffling cards like picking at an errant thread. Kevin reached over and grabbed them from him, setting them in the middle of the table. Shawn pulled them back to him and started dealing cards. "What're we playing here?" Everybody just shrugged their shoulders. He stopped at five cards and then asked, "Poker?"

Stephanie glanced down at the cards and then back up at Shawn. "I don't know how to play very well."

"Oh, we'll teach you," Shawn laughed loudly, sounding on the verge of maniacal.

Therese felt a mean streak coming on. Poker was her forte and she would save that revelation for another night. "I don't either. It won't be as much fun trying to teach both us this late at night. Let's do something we all know how to play."

"Go fish?" Shawn asked. Kevin rolled his eyes and took the rest of the deck away from him.

"Rummy?" Nash asked.

"Come on, man. Go fish." Shawn snatched a card from the top of the pile and stuck it in his waistband.

"You're on your own," Kevin commented to Shawn. "Ladies, Rummy? Hearts? Any suggestions?"

"I'm good with Rummy. Steph?" Therese said, ignoring the dejected look on Shawn's face while he pulled the card from his orange and yellow striped pants and tossed it on the table. Stephanie nodded, trying to keep a straight face over Shawn's antics. The best thing to do was _not _do anything to goad Shawn any further.

Kevin finished the deal and, for a brief moment, the room was quiet. A knock at the door startled them in their silent reverie. Therese jumped up from the bed before anyone could offer to answer it. "I'll get it," she barely got out before she made it across the room to peak through the peephole. The door opened to room service bearing two large bowls of ice cream. She slipped the guy an extra bill and told him to hang on a minute. Three pairs of eyes stared at her intently waiting to find out why and what room service had. "Um, guys, what's your favorite kind of ice cream?"

"Chocolate," both answered simultaneously.

Therese turned back to the man and requested their demands. When he had gone, she gave in to their questioning looks. "I ordered us, me and Steph, some ice cream. It was a long night and I was hoping to cheer her up," she looked at the guys apologetically while setting the strawberry ice cream with sprinkles in front of Stephanie. "Yours is now on the way though."

Stephanie stared at her in surprise. Her first thought was that Therese had poisoned it. In all reality, she was mystified as to why Therese was being a normal person that day. Either way, she wasn't going to sit there and let it melt. "Um, well, thanks," she responded and took a big bite. She rolled her eyes in pleasure. "This is good," she mumbled over the ice cream. "Want some?" They both declined, stating that they would wait for theirs. After a couple of bites of the best vanilla ice cream she had ever had, Therese knew she would be good for the night. Before the girls were halfway done, the chocolate arrived and all four traded bites as they argued over whose was best.

For the next couple of hours, the ordering of cards after a deal and eating the last of the ice cream were the only times the place was silent. They talked about the pay-per-view at first then conversation moved on to nothing in general except for whatever happened to come up. Flirting abounded between Shawn and Stephanie. Kevin attempted to be more subtle with Therese but it was obvious to the others nonetheless. Therese was having a hard time skirting Nash's comments and not initiating a little herself.

Shawn was having himself a "good ol' time." He knew the billion dollar princess could be fun when she lifted off that façade. He could definitely see why the two of them hooked up in college. Therese seemed to be the instigator of their antics. Little did he know that she and Stephanie were repeating their own college stories and replacing their friends with each other. In his ignorant bliss, he realized that only recently had his mood changed. When Kevin went out injured, he had been fairly depressed and threw himself into his work. The coming back of his best friend had lifted his spirits and the duo was back together again. He thought it couldn't get much better, other than he or Nash winning the title from Triple H, but, for some reason, it had. He was enjoying Stephanie's company and plotting with her. He was definitely having fun nagging Kevin about Therese. Or maybe it something else… The heartbreak kid was trying to convince himself that it was nothing else but just being a man that made him so attracted to Stephanie at the moment. She looked amazing in red satin. His eyes would linger when the robe shifted to reveal the concealed nightgown and a bit of flesh. He thought little of Stephanie's encounter with her ex-husband earlier in the night.

Stephanie wasn't oblivious to Shawn's attentions. She was hoping he was getting the drift from hers. There was something about him that smelled heavenly. She thought it was his aftershave but then decided it was his shampoo because it was sweeter and his hair was still damp. She found ways to lean over, trying to sneak a peak at his cards, faking needing help with a hand, picking at a thread on his shirt… She was thrilled to see Kevin and Therese getting along because it meant that she and Shawn would be getting closer. They had begun to plot on getting the two of them together and this was the first of their joint venture. Of course, she had no idea that he had almost bailed earlier. Stephanie probably would have understood but then would have set him straight only to "make"it up to him later. In _her _ignorant bliss, she kept trying to make him laugh just to see the smile that made her melt.

Kevin watched the two of them cutting up together and, at times, trying to gang up on him and Therese, even though they weren't allowed, when the game moved on to Hearts. He was getting in with her, he could tell it. He only wished she would just relax around him, or at least be honest as to why she wouldn't. As stupid as it sounded, his thigh was still hot from where her knee had touched earlier in the night. That wasn't the only thing that was hot in his mind. She wore a New York Rangers hockey jersey that was probably big enough for their goalie. His thoughts had definitely drifted when he thought that she wore very little underneath. When she stretched her long legs out across the bed, the jersey moved enough for him to see her plaid shorts with the Rangers' emblem. It wasn't enough to cool him off as he stared at her legs that he was sure were longer than Stacy Kiebler's and probably just as perfect, except for a small scar mid-way up her thigh. He wanted to ask her about it but didn't know if it would bother her, so he passed on it.

In those couple of hours, Therese wished that circumstances were different. She wanted to date Kevin more than she had wanted to date someone. He was sexy beyond compare, even in pajama pants…_oh, yeah, and he has a great personality_. He wasn't as "passionate" as she had thought him to be outside of the ring, which had scared at her first. He was pretty laid back but could still be fun without being immature. She found herself blushing every time he would smile at her for no reason. There was no point in trying to play hard to get at a card game between friends in a hotel room, so she just quit trying for those few moments.

All were disappointed when Stephanie announced that it was bed-time because they were leaving earlier in the morning than they were willing to get up. Once again, she had to cancel a flight and reroute her travel plans. She stopped Shawn while Therese was telling Kevin 'goodbye.' "Can you pass something on to Bischoff for me? I mean, just sneak it in his mail or something. You don't have to say a thing."

"Sure, doll. What is it?"

"Just a second." She whipped out some letterhead from her briefcase and scribbled a short note on it, signing her name in large letters. The GM grinned evilly as she handed Shawn the note. "If you happen to see his reaction, give me a call."


	11. Collaborative Covert Operations

**_Chapter XI:  Collaborative Covert Operations_**

The General Manager of SmackDown! was sadly disappointed to learn that Eric Bischoff would not be available for RAW due to his hangover.  She was looking to forward to hearing what Shawn Michaels had to say about the letter she had sent.  _It matters not, _she thought, clicking off the show within the first few minutes.  She would find another way to annoy him a later date and she was sure that would be soon.

Therese actually chose to miss the rest of the New Jersey-Ottawa playoff game to watch RAW when Austin ripped into Triple H about deserving to lose the belt to Kevin Nash the night before.  She called Stephanie in the room when Bischoff did appear and they shared a laugh both times before Stephanie disappeared to begin conjuring her new plan.  When Helmsley thought that he would pull off the night's title match by naming Ric Flair as his opponent, Therese was too interested to turn it, especially when Flair wasn't so keen on laying down for him.  Besides, she knew Kevin was in attendance and was just waiting to see what trouble he was going to cause.  As inevitable as the rising sun, Nash showed up in the ring in the main event.  Steve Austin granted him a Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood with The Game.  Nash grinned the most evil smile that Therese had ever seen.  Oddly, the smile and the evil gleam in his eyes turned her on.  She couldn't believe herself and angrily clicked through the channels to see who had won the hockey match.

Kevin called immediately to see if she had been watching.  They talked for a few minutes before he had to go to take care of something else at the arena.  She had barely hung up when she heard Stephanie's phone go off.  

"Shawn!  Did you give it to him?" Stephanie immediately asked after the greetings.

"I didn't actually hand it to him.  I'm sure you found out that he wasn't in the best of moods and I couldn't exactly talk to him. So, I slipped it in a pile of papers that an assistant brought in."

"So you don't know?" she sighed, the question being more of a statement.

"Oh, I know," Shawn confidently responded.  "Were you watching when he blew chunks?  It wasn't only the beer.  He had just read your note."

"Really?" she almost squealed.

"I have my sources.  Sweet, isn't it?"  

Stephanie laughed.  "If only I could have been there."

After their laughter died down, Shawn spoke again.  "I hate to change the subject, but Kevin and I were talking.  Therese has been a little tightlipped on things she likes.  You're her close friend.  Give us the lowdown."

Of all the things to ruin her night, she had to be talking about the one person she wished would disappear.  "Well, she likes…"  _Oh, hell, I haven't a clue.  I haven't even taken the time to find out any of this stuff.  _"Well, um, she's obsessed with the World Series and has to know the score every five seconds."

"Steph, the World Series isn't until October," Shawn bluntly remarked.

"Oh…then what is it?" she shot back.

"Does she watch hockey?"

"Yeah, that's it.  I told you," the brunette answered.

"No, the World Series is baseball and the Stanley Cup is hockey," Shawn pointed out as if it didn't really matter, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

Then the light bulb went off.  "God, I'm so stupid!  Yeah, I knew that."  _Well, I didn't know that was what you call the hockey equivalent to the World Series._

"She got a favorite team in the play-offs?" Shawn continued, glossing over her mistake.

"The Rangers?"

He wasn't going to even bother to tell her that they didn't even have a chance this year of going to the finals.  "What else can you tell me?"

"You watch hockey?"  Stephanie wanted to change the subject quickly.  She couldn't tell him a lot of what he was wanting and would rather have talked about him than anyone else.  The diversion was successful and they talked for a while longer about his favorite sports teams.

On Tuesday, Stephanie received another call from Shawn.  "We have a plan."

"We?" 

"We have the perfect plan to get Therese to go out with Kevin," Shawn replied, sounding a little giddy with excitement as his brilliant idea.

"Give it to me."  After a quick run-down, Stephanie replied, "Perfect.  Now, what am I going to do all alone?"

"Well, you and I could go out," the wrestler commented as if the date would be a grocery run.

_Exactly, she thought.  "If you want to."_

"Sure.  We'll talk later.  I've gotta go now."  They hung up and Stephanie sighed.  _Now, how do I get out with Shawn and Therese not know about it?  At the moment, it didn't matter, she would figure it out by next week._

The next evening, Therese had no idea what she had just accepted in the overnight package for Stephanie.  She handed it to Stephanie as if it was nothing but junk mail.  The dark-haired beauty disappeared with the package and made a quick phone call.  Therese settled back into some work while watching what would become the Ottawa upset over New Jersey.  She couldn't have had a clue how ironic "The Mission Impossible" theme was that was belting out from her cell phone.  It was Kevin.

"Did Stephanie's package arrive?"

"Yeah, how do you know about that?" she asked with a crinkled brow.

"Go ask her about it," he urged.

"What?"

"Just go ask her about it," Kevin replied without trying to sound pushy.

Therese pushed the papers off her lap and headed for the door.  Stephanie met her there.  "I'm supposed to ask you about what came."

"Tell Kevin I've got it."

"She's got it, whatever that is.  You know you _can call her," Therese said as Stephanie held up a small, rectangular piece of stockcard._

"I have two tickets to the third game of the Stanley Cup," Kevin said with a smile, waiting to hear her gleeful answer.

It didn't come.  "That's good.  You'll have a great time, but I didn't know you were a hockey fan."  _Is he calling to gloat?_  Stephanie waved the stockcard in front of her face.  Therese squinted focusing in on its print.  It was indeed a ticket.  _Why did he send a ticket to her?  He better have a good reason for dangling this in my face._

"I didn't tell you?" Kevin asked as if she should already know the answer.

"No.  Interesting though.  So who's your favorite team in the playoffs?" Therese wasn't buying it.

"Anaheim."

"Really?  Mine too," Therese agreed, watching Stephanie tap the ticket in her other hand rather absentmindedly.  "Are they your _favorite _team?"

"No, that's Atlanta."

"So you know who won the Calder Trophy last year?" Therese asked, baiting him.

"Um, yeah, that was…um…"

"Dany Heatley?" She asked, giving a hint to see if he recognized the name.

"Yeah, that's the guy.  But what does that have to do the Thrashers?"  Kevin sealed his doom with those words.  Even Shawn groaned out loud enough for Therese to hear.

"Kevin!  He is the best player for the Thrashers!  You're not a hockey fan!"  Stephanie fanned her face with the ticket and Therese's eyes followed every move the ticket made.  "You have taken two tickets away from some die hard fan."

"Well, it would only be one fan since I need _someone else to go with me," Kevin hinted again._

_Yeah, that someone else should be me.  She had never hated Stephanie more in her life.  If it wasn't for babysitting her, she would be able to go to _the _Playoffs."You mean Shawn can't go?"  Stephanie flipped the ticket over and pretended to read the back.  Stephanie waved it around and olive green eyes continued to follow.  Stephanie thought she was going to laugh out loud at Therese's obvious desire for the ticket._

"My intention wasn't for Shawn to go.  Get the ticket from Stephanie and look at it."

"Kevin wants me to look at it," Therese stated, holding her hand out.

Stephanie wasted no time and before commenting, "Don't drool on it."

"The seats are on the ice in the curve," Kevin pointed out.  "See the seat numbers."

"You are kidding me!  How did you get these?!" Therese didn't know whether or not to be angry at him for having swiped a diehard fan's dream or to be astonished at the fact that he had pulled it off.

"I have connections.  Now, are _you _going with me or not?"

"Well, I…you know, Stephanie…and…"

"She said you could have the night off," Kevin cut her off before she could formulate an excuse.

"Hold on just a minute."  Therese put her hand over the phone.  "Stephanie, did you tell Kevin I could 'have the night off?'"  

"We'll work it out.  Just tell the poor man 'yes' before he has a heart attack."  With that said, younger woman disappeared into her room.

"Okay, I'm back.  Yes, I'll go."  They talked for a few more minutes before ending the call.  Therese was literally jumping on the bed with excitement.  She actually had tickets to the Stanley Cup!  She really couldn't explain it to Evan and he would probably be so jealous he wouldn't speak to her, so there was no one to tell.

Stephanie appeared at the door when she heard the commotion.  "You like hockey that much?"

"How much do you like wrestling?" Therese asked, folding her arms across her chest and staring down at Stephanie from the bed.

"Enough to work in the business," she answered with a shrug.  "Enough for it to be my life."

"Okay, if I could play hockey, coach, whatever hockey job you can name—including driving the zamboni and it putting food on the table for me and my brother, I would do it."

"What's a zamboni?"  Therese just rolled her eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie was outraged at Vince blaming her for the "mistakes" of SmackDown! regarding Mr. America and his decree that he was taking over the show for the night.  The only thing stopping her from storming down to the ring and telling him off was that he knew nothing about Zach Gowen's interview later on in the show.  Her anger subsided when she convinced herself that there was nothing she could do about it since he was the boss.  Deciding a little bit of water would do her good, she and Therese left the sanctuary of her office.  Stephanie didn't back down when she saw her father coming down the hall.  Her first thought was to let him pass by but changed her mind.  She may not be in charge of the show at the moment but she was in charge of her life.  "Dad, you okay?"

Those words opened up a spiel on his mania.  She hated doing this to her father.  She would prefer he get over his fixation and they could go back to when he had instituted her as general manager.  Somewhere something had went wrong.  She said she just wanted to make sure he knew what he was doing because he was acting out of control.  The woman had often witnessed him devoid of his faculties and she didn't want to see it again.  Then he stared her down and said he was obsessed with mistakes.  The look in his eyes made her feel like he was calling her a mistake.  That was enough.  In that one moment, concern for her father evaded her.  When she muttered "Great," she was saying that in more than one way.  Now she would have to pull out all stops if necessary.

Even after their conversation in the corridor, Stephanie wasn't surprised that her father would go back out to the ring and demand an apology from Roddy Piper for not "getting the job done."  No one was amazed when Sean O'Haire piped up that he would take on Mr. America to stop Piper and McMahon from fighting since he was at fault for the match at Judgment Day.  He idolized Piper more than anyone really should.  No one would be amazed if he walked in next week wearing a kilt.  Stephanie would have protested the match, not the kilt, believing that Hogan needed the night off.  However, the power wasn't available to her at the present and she hoped for the best—that Mr. America would wipe the mat with O'Haire.  Since Piper would be fired if O'Haire lost, she had her fingers crossed that she would be waving 'goodbye' to Piper and maybe Vince would start to cool down.

The interview went well and provoked the sympathy for which she was looking.  The young man had lost his leg when he was eight due to cancer.  His mother was the only support he had because his father had bailed on him when he four.  Now, as he is currently training as a wrestler, his dream was to be hired by the WWE.  The fans would be behind him, which meant they would be behind Mr. America and not McMahon.  The controversy would spark low ratings.  For a moment, she almost felt guilty for setting up this charade just to invoke fan interest and to gain an advantage over her father's meddling.  Gowen was what every underdog wanted to be.  He was the fan living out the fan's dream.  The audience would be eating out of her hand.

Stephanie was watching the monitor when Vince called out after Hogan and she flinched when the man responded although he was not supposed to be "Hogan" but "Mr. America."  McMahon tried to add a provision to Mr. America's match with O'Haire—if he lost, he would submit to a lie detector test.  If he didn't agree to this stipulation, Gowen would never have the opportunity to wrestle in WWE, or anywhere for that matter.  Reluctantly, Hogan agreed.

Stephanie had full confidence in Hogan.  She didn't however have full confidence in Hogan when he was outnumbered 3 to 2, an unseasoned kid aspiring to be a wrestler being the only one on his side.  Vince stooped low by trying to arrest Gowen for criminal trespass and personal assault during the match and Hogan wouldn't stand for it.  The consequence was a count-out for Mr. America.  Now she was worried.  One question next week would destroy what she had been working on for weeks.  She would be made a fool and might as well kiss her job 'goodbye.'  

The minute Hogan lost, Therese was pushing her to get ready to leave.  Even though Stephanie was determined that no one would have the slightest inkling that she was so worried, Therese knew the brave front that was being put up.  Determinedly packing her briefcase up, Stephanie brushed off any wrestler that approached her about a question.  She smiled at them and told them to call her tomorrow.  When Vince appeared across the parking lot in search of her, she pulled Therese into the limo behind her.  "I refuse to listen to him gloat at this moment.  I will deal with him next week," she bit out, jerking the door shut as Therese righted herself.

After calming down, Stephanie re-opened the leather case that held all her papers and straightened the ones that had been tossed in quickly.  An envelope that had gone unnoticed before now caught her attention.  Her fingers twitched as she nervously grasped the paper.  Therese glanced up to notice Stephanie's pale face and shaking hands.

"Stephanie?"  She didn't respond.  Therese slid around the seat beside her.  "Stephanie, is that another…"  Stephanie gulped and slightly nodded.  She held the unopened letter out.  Therese took it from her and immediately opened it.  The words were not as brutal this time.  Actually, it was very simple.  Yet, two sentences stood out:  "Play your cards carefully.  Those who play unfairly always get what's coming to them."  Her job was not to figure out who the stalker was, just to keep the target safe.  Yet, she knew she had figured out exactly who the person now was.  Stephanie looked up at her with expectant eyes.  "It's no different," she muttered.  "I'll send this one back to the agency.  Don't even worry about it."  Stephanie's eyes gave her a sarcastic stare.  "Well, do your best not to…Think about Shawn.   That ought to do it."  Stephanie just rolled her eyes.

Therese anxiously waited for Stephanie to disappear in her bathroom so she could call Aaron Pendleton.  Stephanie did not need to know at this juncture who Therese thought the stalker was.

"There's another letter," she stated without emotion.

"Tell me everything," Aaron demanded, quickly pulling out paper and pen.

There wasn't much to tell.  "I think it's Bischoff," she added.

"Don't jump to conclusions," her boss replied, dropping his pen.

"Think about it.  Well, you can't.  The letter before she came to us was a week after Steve Austin was named co-general manager.  The next two came a week after she baited Bischoff."

"She did what?" Aaron exclaimed in question.

"She sent him a note on two separate occasions to rub in his misfortune…basically to piss him off.  The letters came right after those.  The first one mentioned a date she had gone on only in a RAW location—"

"We need to talk about that," the man interjected.

"Another time, okay?  I know exactly what you are going to say and it won't happen again.  Just listen to me."  She continued on, walking over his interruption, "The second mentions something we had done after the pay-per-view that also included RAW."

"I'll pass everything on that you've said tomorrow morning."

"I have plans to handle this next week but I hope I will not have to keep making plans," she hinted at him to get this figured out and over with.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

Author's Note:  I am soooo sorry this has taken me so long to get posted.  The semester is almost over but all the assignments are killing me.  I have good news though.  In two weeks, all of my finals will be over with and I will have over a month for holidays.  Updates galore!


	12. Lies! All Lies!

**_Chapter XII:  Lies!  All Lies!_**

The next Thursday, Therese had her usual meeting with security.  This time, she issued a new decree.  No RAW employee was allowed into the building without _her _consent.  All those who were not SmackDown! employees needed to sign in, backstage pass or not.  The intent was to monitor who was coming in.  Bischoff couldn't possibly be leaving the notes himself without being seen.  Then again, he had fooled _everyone _dressed as the priest for Billy and Chuck's fake wedding.  She had to keep Stephanie safe without scaring off the culprit.  The second part of that was the hardest, but she was determined nonetheless.  

Stephanie was unnerved when she stood in the circle of security staff with Therese as Therese issued her dictum.  The minute they were alone she immediately demanded to know why this sudden change.  Therese's comment was that they had been at this for three weeks and that was three weeks too long.  Another step needed to be taken and this was next on the list.  Therese didn't dare tell her that Bischoff was currently under investigation—or what could be considered investigation since it had to be done so covertly.

Stephanie's nerves were already on edge because of the lie detector test.  Vince McMahon arrived as the show started and felt the need to stop in the office.  Stephanie and Therese were going to talk with the officials regarding the lie detector and they had nowhere to hide.  Vince cockily strode up to them and stopped with a goofy grin on his face.  Therese stepped closer to Stephanie and waited, hoping he would have his say out and leave.  He shook his head, the grin getting wider—if that was possible.  He pointed at her and opened his mouth to say something but instead gave a short laugh, shook his head, and waved her off.  Stephanie was glowering at him as he headed back in the direction he came and the two continued on.

Stephanie allowed the administrators to set her up with the lie detector.  The man on her right asked, "Is your name Stephanie McMahon?"

"Yes."  The detector signaled a correct answer.  

"Have you ever cheated on your taxes?"

She quickly slipped out of the cuff with a nervous laugh.  "You guys go right for the gusto."  She then checked with both men as to their functions regarding the test.  Clapping her hands together, she asked, "Are you ready?"

Therese finally let out the laughter that had been welling up for over a week.  "I did cheat once back when Hunter and I got together.  Okay?" Stephanie spoke in an angry hush to Therese only.

"That's not what I'm laughing at," she barely got out between chuckles.  Stephanie said nothing as she waited for Therese to elaborate.  "Those things aren't even admissible in court in most states.  That's how unreliable they are, so I don't know what you're so worried about." 

"Let's hook you up to one of those things and see how you do."

"Any day, sister," the blonde replied with a laugh and stood up from her seat.

Stephanie called the official back over and demanded he try it again on Therese.  Therese laughed under her breath and allowed herself to be hooked up to the machine.  "I'll ask the questions."  The man backed off and waited to read the results.  "Is your name Therese Blair?"

Therese laughed.  "You're going to have to do better than that."

"Fine.  Do you reside in Atlanta, Georgia?"

"Yes."  The machine dinged a correct answer.

Stephanie looked annoyed.  "Would you rather be somewhere else than here?"

Therese cocked her head sideways as if in thought.  "No."  Another correct answer, even though it was a lie.

Stephanie figured out what she was trying to do.  "Okay, Miss Blair.  Do you have tickets to the World Series?"

Therese choked back a laugh.  "No."

"No, no, I mean, do you have tickets to the Stanley Cup?"

"No."  The machine signaled a correct answer.

"Do you hate hockey?"

"Yes."  The lie detector test had yet to catch her in a lie.

"Damn it!  How do you do that?"  

Therese shrugged out of the wires.  "Easy.  We'll talk as we walk."  Once outside in the hall, she explained.  "Lie detector tests measure anxiety, basically, by monitoring things such as blood pressure and heart rate.  It's thought that a person becomes more anxious when lying and the body reflects that.  As for me, I wouldn't be here if I couldn't lie as well I do."

"I have to talk to Hogan," Stephanie quickly responded to the explanation and began patting her jacket and dress to find her cell phone.

Therese held it out for her.  "No pockets, remember?"  She didn't acknowledge the comment and took the phone from her.  As soon as the door to her office shut, she relayed the information to Hogan.  He had sounded more confident on the phone after they had talked, but it wasn't enough to allay Stephanie's worries.

The moment came and Vince McMahon strutted down the ramp with that same, sick smile plastered on his face.  He took up a mic and proclaimed how Hogan, in _any _form, would never be seen in a WWE ring after that night.  The Chairman of the Board caught sight of Zach Gowen in the front row and had a few words to say.  Stephanie cringed when he made the comment that, after the test, neither Hogan nor Zach would have a leg to stand on.   Mr. America made his way down to the ring and settled in the chair that had been set up.  After the wires and monitors were in place, Hogan looked more dejected than calm.

The questioning began.  "Are you the man known as Mr. America?" asked the officer who had administered the trial-run on Stephanie.

"Yes."  _Easy enough, she thought._

"Are you currently sitting in a wrestling ring in Pensacola, Florida?"

"Yes."

Vince interrupted.  "Ask him _the_ question."

The officer declared a method to the test and continued on.  "Are you currently employed on SmackDown!?"

"Ask _the_ question!" erupted McMahon.

"Mr. America, are you Hulk Hogan?"  Stephanie's breath caught in her throat as she waited to hear the answer.  Hogan looked around him into the crowd for several moments without responding.  

He opened his mouth to speak and everyone hung on the silence.  "Can I have a drink of water?"  Stephanie loudly exhaled.

McMahon fussed on and then stated, "I'll ask the question this time.  Mr. America, are you Hulk Hogan?"

Hogan took less time to answer, but the response was different.  "No."  When the device dinged a correct answer, Stephanie beamed a smile and was able to finally stop her foot from nervously tapping.

"What does this mean?" McMahon angrily asked the administrator.

"It means he's telling the truth," was his reply.  The officer asked the question again and Hogan answered even quicker.  McMahon prodded him to ask the same question and Hogan immediately answered in the negative again.

"What the hell's going on?" McMahon ground out.

"What's going on, Mr. McMahon, is that Mr. America has passed his lie detector test," the administrator answered in a confident voice.

The officers unstrapped Hogan from the device.  Even Zach had the look of shock on his face.  _This charade is getting ridiculous, Stephanie thought as Hogan paraded around the ring._

Vince was an interesting shade of red.  He called Mr. America back into the ring, declaring that if Hogan could pass a lie detector test, then he could do it.  As they hooked him up to it, he commented that the tests weren't admissible in court.  Therese jabbed Stephanie with her elbow.  She just shook her head and turned back to the monitor as Hogan began to question Vince.  "Are you the biggest asshole on God's green earth?"  At that question, Stephanie stifled a giggle.  

"No."  Another sound came from the machine—an incorrect answer.  "I am?" McMahon muttered, more to himself than anyone.

"Are you a sick, perverted, power-hungry freak?"  Now, Stephanie had to laugh.  For every word McMahon said, the buzzer sounded a wrong answer.  Before Hogan left the ring, he decked Vince and strutted up the ramp.

The knock at the door was not who the young GM wanted to see.  Therese was ready this time and quickly stepped out of the way before he slammed the door into her.  

"I'm beginning to wonder what's going on around here," McMahon stated, eyeing his daughter down.

"What do you want me to do?  You don't believe me.  You want me to take a lie detector?"  She added the last question to pour more salt into the wound.

"Things are gonna change around here," he stated.  "Yeah, next week, things are gonna get changed, alright.  For the better."  Stephanie stared at him as he walked off, trying to discern what his words meant.  He muttered "smartass" before he got out the door. 

A silent Therese spoke up after seeing the look on Stephanie's face.  "Don't let him get to you.  He's just pissed and will say anything.  Let it go.  If you don't, you won't sleep."  Stephanie gave her a half-hearted smile and settled down at the desk to absentmindedly shift papers around.  Even Vince's limo being impounded because he was parked in a handicapped spot, along with Gowen rubbing it in, did nothing to alleviate her father's comment.

Another tally mark was added to her side of the chalkboard.  However, she was worried that that the one-up would be tied and surpassed come next week.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Friday was taken up with flights and naps and neither Stephanie nor Therese said much about their respective dates for Saturday night.  The two had fought like cats and dogs all week about Stephanie setting her up.  Therese had stated over and over that she was not there to 'get a man' but do a job.  Stephanie finally blew up, yelling at Therese that she couldn't stand her anymore and just wanted to get away from her.  That had instituted the silent treatment until SmackDown! the night before.  In a moment of civility, Therese agreed to Shane coming to stay with Stephanie _in the hotel room while she was gone and they both agreed that not a word was to be spoken to her boss _ever. _ _

Therese was an early riser and started a coffee pot in the percolator to entice Stephanie to wake up.  Usually, the brunette was up with the sun unless she had nothing to do for the day.  Therese expected her to sleep late but she needed her up and ready to go.  This was the first day that they had had to do anything for themselves and Therese needed it.  She quietly pushed the adjoining doors open farther as the smell of brewing coffee wafted through.  Stephanie appeared at the door with a robe on and holding out a mug with the hotel's logo.  She hadn't been able to go back to sleep since sun rise and then the rich smell had compelled her into the next room.

"What brought this moment of kindness on?" Stephanie asked, pulling back the balcony curtains of the room and settling in a chair.

_Damn, I'm caught.  "We've got shopping to do, remember?"_

"What?"

"You were talking Monday about having to buy another pair of black heels because you scuffed up the only pair you have with you.  We agreed to go shopping for them today."  The only truthful part of the conversation was that Stephanie _had_ scuffed up her heels and, in passing, commented that she needed another pair.  Her face was still clouded but, in a moment, she gave up in trying to remember.

"Okay.  When are we leaving?"

"When you're ready," Therese, answered, which sounded like more of a question than a statement.

Stephanie proceeded to sip the rest of the coffee, gazing out over the balcony.  There wasn't much to see.  She was just enjoying the feel of the morning sun.  Therese flipped through the yellow pages in search of the particular stores for which she was looking.  She kept glancing at Stephanie, mentally rushing her through the mug.  Eventually, the diva rose and made her way back into her own room.  The day was going to be a long one as she waited for her date with Shawn.  Therefore, she was taking her time, hoping that the more she took of it, the faster it would fly.  

The chauffer was from Anaheim and they were on their way to the mall.  After the first five clothing stores that Therese had gone into determinedly but walked out empty-handed, Stephanie pried out of her what she was looking for.  "A scarf?" Stephanie laughed until she guffawed.  "Have you checked your calendar lately?  It's May.  You are _not going to find one.  Even the clearance racks won't have them."  Therese glared at her but continued to pull her into every store in hopes of finding the elusive item._

By the early afternoon, the exhausted women returned to the hotel, a couple of bags a piece between them.  Stephanie had found her replacement shoes, a few other items, and a flattering peasant blouse that she had intentions of wearing that night.  Therese pulled out the Anaheim jersey with Giguere's name and number and laid it out on the bed.  The scarf to help keep her warm was still non-existent.  She was thrilled about being at the game but also knew that the butterflies were for another reason.

Not long before Kevin was to arrive to pick up Therese, Stephanie called Shawn.  She had to convince him not to tell Therese about their plans.  She said that she had promised Therese that she would stay in and rest and would be in major trouble with her if she reneged on her promise.  Shawn commented that he would leave her to her relaxation.  She quickly told him that she was feeling better but that Therese thought she still needed to turn in early.  Shawn finally agreed to not mention their date to Therese and to pass on the same to Kevin.  

Therese came in on the end of the conversation but Stephanie was done with her business.  "That Shane?"

"Yeah, he'll be here in about thirty minutes."

"I don't like that.  I'll just wait 'til he gets here."

"Don't make Kevin wait.  Come on, you can't exactly be twenty-four hour surveillance."  Therese sighed and shook her head.  "You're gonna make him wait as it is if you don't get dressed soon."

"This _is _what I'm wearing.  I mean, except for the jersey."  Stephanie glanced over her jeans, purple pullover, and sneakers.

"Yeah, that is definitely going to snag him."

"I'm going to a _hockey game.  _You don't exactly wear a dress to this kind of thing.  I am not freezing at the arean.  It's bad enough that I don't have gloves or a scarf."  She stomped off into her room and Stephanie followed.

"Well, can I at least fix your hair?"  Therese ran her hand through the ponytail.  She sat down at the vanity with a huff and pulled out the rubberband.  Stephanie plugged in a curling iron and silently set to work, pulling up the top of her hair and curling the ends.  "It's not amazing, but it's a major improvement."  

Therese glared at Stephanie's reflection in the mirror.  "Want to do my make-up too?" she sarcastically asked.

"Well, you know, you could use a bit more—"  Stephanie abruptly stopped as Therese turned around to glare at her.  "I'm just gonna go see what's on pay-per-view for me and Shane to watch…"  She backed up a few steps and then disappeared.

When the knock came at the door, Therese had to still herself to keep from rushing to the open it.  She took a few deep breaths and then turned the knob.  Kevin Nash stood on the other side with a beaming smile.  "Hi," he said a little sheepishly.  "You ready?"

"Yeah, just a moment.  Come in and shut the door."  Therese grabbed the jersey from the bed and pulled it over her head as she headed into Stephanie's room.  "I'm leaving."  Then, she whispered, "Please, stay here and, please, _don't _persuade Shane to take you out."

_Trust me, I won't try to persuade **Shane to do anything.  "I'll be fine.  Just go and have fun."  **__Because I'll be having fun myself.__  "We'll turn the game on and see if we can see you."  A brief smile formed on Therese's lips but it was then replaced with one of the stern looks that she used on Stephanie as reminder to do as she said._

Kevin was staring at the skyline through the balcony doors when Therese came back in.  "Alright.  I think I'm ready," she said, patting her jeans pockets to make sure she had everything she needed—cash, credit card, and identification.  

As soon as the door clicked shut, Stephanie shot up from the bed and quickly dressed.  Still having several more minutes before Shawn arrived, she applied fresh make-up and another spray of perfume.  As a stray hair was tucked away, quick taps sounded Shawn's arrival.  She didn't hold herself back as much as Therese had.  After checking the peephole, Stephanie jerked the door open as the butterflies jerked a knot in her stomach.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…


	13. Aphrodisiacs of Wrestling: Relish and Wi...

Chapter XIII:  Aphrodisiacs of Wrestling:  Relish and Wine

Stephanie had insisted Therese take the limo.  In her opinion, it would better prove that she hadn't left her hotel room if the occasion arose in which she had to defend her actions that night.  The sleek, black vehicle pulled up in front of the Duck Pond where other limos, much the same in appearance, waited.  The place was swarming with people but she craned her neck to try to see which stars the other limos belonged.  _Here I am looking to see some star and I have Kevin Nash sitting in my, well, Stephanie's limo.  Nash stepped out first and offered his hand to help her.  They were blinded with cameras flashes by some hopefuls thinking to catch a famous actor or actress.  "That's the closest I'll ever come to the red carpet," she laughed.  _

He smiled back.  "It's not all roses, well, if they don't know who you are, it's not."

"And that means what?"

"You ever see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II?" he asked as they joined the throng of people standing outside the entrance.  She nodded.  "That's me at the end in the Super Shredder costume."

"No way," she said, stopping.

"Yeah.  And at the premiere, if you could call it that, no one had a clue who I was."

"I'm sorry," she muttered and followed him down the sidewalk.

"Don't be.  It wasn't all that glamorous.  Give me your hand, I don't want to lose you."  They weren't even through the ticket gate before their palms were sweaty.  Therese kept telling herself that it was just the excitement of seeing a Stanley Cup championship game.  The couple threaded their way through the crowds milling about purchasing food and hockey paraphernalia.  "Want to find our seats first?"

She glanced at her watch.  "Yeah, warm-ups should be starting."  Kevin never let go of her as he navigated the arena to their seats.  The view was absolutely amazing as the players took the ice.  Therese sat enthralled and Kevin grinned at her state of awe.

"Here, let me wipe the drool off," he commented and reached over to trace fingers across her chin.  She tried to hide the shiver but it was no use.  "Cold?"

"Um, yeah, but I'll be fine."  _Yeah, I'm sorry, too, _she thought, imagining a warm jacket that smelled like Kevin Nash.  "I'll go get a scarf when they're done."  _The only place in this town where you'll find one."Okay?"_

"I don't have a choice, do I?" he asked with one eyebrow cocked.  She smiled back and tucked her hands between her knees to keep them warm.  Several times he started to reach for her hands but didn't know how or what to say without her thinking he was trying to put a move on her.

Flirting came easy for Kevin.  When he knew the road was a dead-end or that the woman just didn't care, he could put the moves on with no trouble.  His ex-wife had easily fallen for his charming ploy.  Not that he was saying she was easy, but obviously the relationship didn't last.  Now that he was being serious, his brain shut down.  He didn't want to do _anything that would scare her away.  There had been many dates since the divorce, only a few of them had made him this nervous._

As the players began exiting the rink, she stood up and held out her hand.  "Money begs to be spent," she laughed.  

He took her hand and replied, "And my stomach begs for food."

"I completely forgot we would get something when we got here."  Therese glanced up at the countdown to the game.  "Um…"

"I know.  You don't want to miss one thing.  You go get your scarf and I'll meet you back here with…"  He trailed off waiting for her to answer with what she would like.

"Oh, a footlong hotdog smothered in mustard and relish and tater tots if they have them…"  She stopped at the disappointed look on his face.

"_Smothered _in mustard and relish, huh?"  

She smiled inwardly.  _We'll see if you think about a kiss after that._  "Yeah, if you don't mind."

"Diet coke?"

"Yeah, right," she said with a bit of sarcasm, mildly annoyed that he would think that she was one who insisted on diet drinks.  "Just whatever doesn't have caffeine in it.  I'll be up all night as it is."

The two parted at the top of the stairs.  Therese returned first with the scarf and a set of gloves that she could later give to Evan, one of many gifts to try to make up for leaving him in the company of a baby-sitter for so long.  Kevin was not far behind, juggling their drinks and dogs.  She laughed out loud when she couldn't find the meat for the mustard and relish.

"That's what you said you wanted," he replied with the best innocent look he could muster, which wasn't very convincing.

"And I thank you for it."

"So, hockey's your thing.  How long…"  From there that launched into a discussion that lasted the night about her obsession with the game, about his time as a basketball player, and all sports in general.  Finding a woman that watched ESPN as much as he did was just about enough to win his heart over right there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie pulled the door to a grinning Shawn.  "Hey, doll!"  She returned his smile as she took in his skin-tight black shirt and blue jeans and then ushered him in.  "How ya feelin'?"

"I was tired this morning after shopping but now I'm just fine.  I promise you and Therese both," Stephanie answered as she pulled a bottle of wine out of the small wet bar and handed Shawn two glasses.  She opened the balcony door and beckoned him to follow out into the beautiful summer evening.  The blonde settled in a one of the lounge chairs and propped up his feet as Stephanie poured the merlot.  She took the dainty wine glass in her hand and settled in the chaise lounge.  "So…what do you want to do tonight?"

He shrugged his shoulders.  "Whatever you want, princess.  I think we should out to stay in since you weren't feeling well earlier."

Stephanie rolled her eyes where he couldn't see her.  "All right.  I give.  We'll stay in.  You had supper yet?"

"Naw," he answered in his Texan drawl.

"Good," she responded, clapping her hands together.  "I haven't either.  We'll order room service."

"That's a little expensive," he replied with raised eyebrows.

"Daddy can afford it," she said with a devious grin.  "Since we're staying in, there's a couple of movies coming on tonight and there's always pay-per-view."

"Sounds good to me."

Stephanie downed the last of wine in her glass and offered Shawn some more.  He shook his head and set the glass down on the small table.  "Let's see what we can find on the menu that'll give my father a heart attack when he sees the bill."  _We'll see who thinks "smartass" now, she thought as the two pulled out the room service menus._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Towards the end of the first period, Therese's cellphone rang.  Panic shot through her chest as she tried to calmly pull it out of her pocket.  She would have sighed inwardly from relief when the callerID indicated the call was from Evan but now she had to deal with him in an arena of cheering people.  "This is Blair."

"You can't talk, can you?"  he asked, knowing the answer just by the way she acknowledged the call.

"Yes."

"You can't talk because you're with Kevin Nash, right?" he said calmly, trying to bait her.

"No."  _How did he know that? she thought._

"Then you can't talk because YOU'RE AT THE ANAHEIM GAME!" Evan shouted.  "Am I right this time?"

"Maybe."

"You know those two fights that broke out in front of you?"

"Yes," she answered with a nod.

"That's how I know," he replied emphatically.

"Oh."

"Why Nash?" he wailed.

"Let me call you back after the game," she said diplomatically.  

"I'm mad at you.  You know that?"

"Oh, yes, I'm very positive about that.  I'll bring you something from the game."

"You promise to _bring _it to me?" Evan asked in his fake whine.

"Yes, but I don't know when."

"Alright.  You're not off the hook, but that makes it better.  Love you."

"Same."  She ended the call shortly before the first intermission.

"Everything okay?" Nash asked, offering her a mint.

"Yeah, just fine," she answered, taking it.  "I've got to go get a jersey or something to return a favor."  She popped the little peppermint in her mouth.  "Wait.  You trying to say something about my breath?"  

He shrugged his shoulders and glanced around the rink.  "You're the one who asked for a ton of relish."

She smirked and then stated, "I'll be back."  She was the first one up the aisle when the buzzer sounded the end of the period.  First in line with an official Stanley Cup jersey, she muttered curses about Evan finding out.  He wasn't supposed to know because of his exact reaction.  However, from his comment about Nash, she wondered if he was madder at her being with him than being at the game.

She slipped back into her seat to catch the end of a peewee league exhibition.  "What did you get?"

"Just this," she pulled the shirt out.

"Nice, must have been a big favor."

"More than you know."  Therese stuffed the bag under her seat when she heard Kevin's name on the PA system.  She jerked up to see them on the big screen, her eyes wide and her hair in disarray from slinging her head back up.  Nash smiled and waved at the cameraman.  Therese wanted to sink down in her seat into oblivion.

"Well, they know who I am this time."  With that, Nash joined three other celebrities that had been greeted with the announcer's voice and the arena's applause.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shawn laid his fork down and pushed his chair back from the table, rubbing his stomach.  "Give my compliments to your father."

"I don't think I'll have to when he sees the credit card," Stephanie laughed, setting her napkin aside.  "I'm so full, I could take a nap."

"We still have to watch the movie.  I didn't come over for just a meal.  I'm getting all I paid for," he said with a devilish grin.

She smiled and shook her head.  "You're incorrigible."

"I'm a what?"

"Incorrigible, the inability to be—" She gestured at him as she tried to explain.

"I know, doll, I'm just pickin' at ya," he interrupted, leaning across the table and laying a hand on her arm.

"See what I mean," Stephanie stood and gestured toward him.  Shawn followed suit and then poured them each another glass of wine.  She took it from him and settled on the bed, delicately tucking her legs under her.  "So, what did we decide on?"

"I think it was between—"  

The phone rang and Stephanie immediately put her fingers to her lips.  "Shhh.  It might be Therese."  She reached across the bed and picked the receiver.  "Hello?"  She put her hand over the mouthpiece.  "It's the service desk," she whispered and then returned to the call.  "Yes…fine, just great…thank you…I will do that…thank you again.  Goodbye."  Stephanie turned back to him.  "Still safe."

"Does it really matter if she found out?" he asked, pulling his chair up to the edge of the bed and propping his feet up.

"Probably not.  I just don't want to hear her bitch at me.  She still thinks she's like my dorm mother or something."  Stephanie pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Have you told her that bothers you?"

"It doesn't so much bother me.  It's like, well…does Kevin act like your big brother every once and while?"

"Yeah, but it's Kevin," he answered, physically waving off the question with his hand.

"It's like that with me and Therese.  Even though it's been, what, eight years since we were inseparable, we kind of picked back up where we started."  _I think I'm getting better at this as I go, _Stephanie thought.

"Mmmm," Shawn mumbled.  They grew silent as they sipped at their glasses. 

"About that movie," Stephanie piped up to break the moment.  "Comedy, drama, or…"  She bounced across the bed and then, with a smile, drew out "…chick flick."

"Is there something that has all three in it?"

She flipped through the pages of the guide again.  "You ever see _Shallow Hal?  It's a little lacking in drama but it's got the other two."_

"Why not?"

Stephanie flipped the television channels to the movie and settled against the headboard of the bed.  Shawn started dragging his chair to the head of the bed, but Stephanie patted the mattress beside her.  "I don't bite."

"Now, that's not true.  I've seen you do it," he scolded, wagging a finger at her.

"Then let me rephrase that.  I won't bite _you."  She chomped at the air as he sat down on the edge of the bed._

"Ooo, how kinky could that get?"

"Is that what you always think about?" she asked, shifting her legs as he settled beside her.

"Shh!  The movie's starting," he interrupted, pointing at the screen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Aren't they cute?" Therese asked as a redheaded couple was shown kissing on the big screen.  

When the camera cut to another couple who immediately swapped slobber, more than anyone really wanted to see, Kevin asked, "Now, explain this to me again."

"It's nothing much.  They've done this at every hockey game I've been to.  When they show you on the big screen, you're supposed to kiss."

"Really?" he muttered more to himself.

"Yeah, it's quite stupid."  No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than the camera cut to them.  She gave a tightlipped smile and dropped an inch in her seat.  Kevin shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at her.

When they cut away, he asked, "I thought you said we were supposed to kiss?"

"No, other people are."

"But not us?" he queried with fake puzzlement.

"Exactly," she responded as the camera cut back to them.  The arena laughed when she shyly smiled and shook her head.  "And if you don't, then they keep coming back to you."

"Then we'll have to remedy that."

"How?  Kiss the guy beside you?"  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the two of them on the big screen again.  She didn't have time to turn away as he reached a hand underneath her hair and pulled her to him.  Her heart stopped as his lips brushed hers.  Neither was aware that the arena was cheering.  When she didn't try to stop him, he deepened the kiss.  With her body as a melted puddle in the seat, she couldn't have resisted even if she had wanted to.  Only when the big screen came back to them and the crowd laughed did the two pull apart.  Nash wiggled his eyebrows and she blushed crimson.  "Um, wha-what were we talking about?"

"Kariya's stats," he promptly answered with a smile.

"Oh…oh, yeah," she mumbled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Their interest in the movie was lost over half way through and the two started talking about their hopes and dreams.  "I don't aspire to be in the Peace Corps like Gwyneth Paltrow's character or anything.  I dream on a more personal, individual level."

"Isn't that what they call selfish?" Shawn asked with a cock-eyed grin.

She shot him a dirty look.  "I mean, I'm not out to change the world.  I want to start in my own little sphere of existence.  I just haven't gotten started."

"What is it you want to start?"

She sighed.  "I don't know.  My biggest hope would be to see my family a family again, but I know that'll never happen.  I have a personal vendetta to make _sure that doesn't happen.  I don't aspire to be a wrestling champion.  I don't have to be on television for the rest of my life.  I want to make WWE the best it can be but not at my expense or the expense of my future family."_

"So, there's a man involved in this _future family?" _

"No, I divorced him and got custody of our three kids," she answered with a glare.

"Three?  You don't think that's one too many?  That'll mess up your figure," Shawn commented, looking her up and down

"Are you ever serious?"

"If I was, nobody would still like me," the alleged playboy said with a smile.

"You know that's not true.  I would still like you."

"You're one of those all-around good people that likes everyone and everyone likes too," he said, shifting around to sit in front of her on the bed.

"You are sadly mistaken.  Do you even watch my show?" the brunette asked, drawing her legs up Indian-style to accommodate Shawn.

"Of course.  Gotta spy on the enemy."

"You haven't said what your dreams and hopes are," Stephanie prompted.

"I'm too old to dream anymore," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Say that to everyone else your age and see what they say."

"Fine," he replied, rolling his eyes.  "I've done everything I wanted to in wrestling.  So, I guess now I hope my wrestling school becomes one of the best in the country, so I can retire early and put all my effort into it and my family when I can't be on TV anymore."

"So who all's involved in this family?" she asked, turning his question back on her.

"My four children and my wife.  We're not divorced," he said with a grin.

"_Four?_  That'll ruin your figure," Stephanie commented, rolling her eyes.

"My figure?"

"You'll get all soggy in the middle and your butt'll disappear."  She poked him in the stomach and then tried to tickle him.  He grabbed her arms and twisted them around behind her back, pulling her to his chest.  When she finally stopped laughing, she asked, "Think we'll be doing this with our significant others twenty years from now?"

The feel of the atmosphere suddenly changed.  The two were quiet as they felt the electricity begin to surge in the room.  He let go of her arms and she turned to stare up at him with her innocent blue eyes, mere inches from his hazel ones.  "I would hope so," he muttered.  Neither moved for what felt like an eternity, each waiting for the other to either look away or make the first move.  Unintentionally and without thinking, Stephanie licked her lips.  Shawn glanced down as she rolled her pink lips together.  They both moved at the same time, creeping towards each other at a painfully slow but sweet rate.  Their lips barely brushed together, sending chills throughout their bodies.  Shawn wrapped his arms around her and drew her close.  The kiss deepened and Stephanie could taste the wine on his lips.  She ran her tongue across them and his eyelids fluttered closed.  His embrace tightened on her as he captured her lips once again in a deep kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Anaheim took the game in overtime.  Neither was ready to leave.  Therese's hands still hurt from banging on the glass throughout the game.  She had even persuaded Kevin to join her on a couple of occasions.  Still, she didn't want to leave.  This had been the best three hours she had spent in a long time.  Kevin wasn't sure when he would see her again with their opposite schedules.  Here, he had her to himself without Stephanie or Shawn.  The decision had to be made when a couple of kids came up to him asking for his autograph.  The two boys broke the ice for other fans who now stepped up.

Therese pulled him down to whisper in his ear.  "You want me to get you out of here without having to deal with giving autographs and whatnot."

While signing a woman's ticket, he asked, "You can do that?"  She nodded.  He then whispered, "I don't wanna be mean and shrug off these people, but, yeah."

"Does your cell phone have an earpiece?" she asked, her lips brushing his ear.  He nodded in response, staving off a shiver.  "Give it to me."  He slipped it to her and she turned around, putting the earpiece in and slipping the wire into her jersey.  "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Therese stepped in between him and the next woman trying to talk to him.  "I'm sorry.  Mr. Nash is leaving now.  Excuse us."  She put her hand to the earpiece and held her arm out in front of her with the phone in her grasp.  "Please step back."  She walked Kevin out into the lobby, acting as if the cell phone was some important piece of equipment and the earpiece was sending official commands.  After speaking with one of the attendants, she ushered Kevin down a hallway away from the crowd.  A few people were around before they stepped outside, not far from the waiting limousines.  

Once in the limo, Therese handed back the cell phone and earpiece.  They burst into laughter.  "I would love to know what those people were thinking!  Kevin Nash with a woman bodyguard smaller than him!"

"Where did you learn to do that?"

She shrugged her shoulders.  "Movies, I guess."  The two grew silent for the first time that evening.  The ride back to the hotel was quick and quiet.  Kevin walked her up to the room.  In a way, she was itching to get back in and check on Stephanie, but, in another, she wasn't ready for the night to end.

"Let's do this again sometime."

"What? Go to another Stanley Cup play-off?" she teased.

"I'll call you tomorrow and we'll see what we can work out.  That good?" he asked, stuffing his hands in pockets and looking all cute and innocent.

"Yeah.  I'll talk to you then," she smiled bashfully and turned to open the door.

"Wait."  She turned back around.  "Why is it you're so shy when it comes to us but you can go crazy at a hockey game?"

"Don't know."  She smiled and then pointed at the door.  "I…gotta go.  'Bye."

"Wait."  She didn't have a chance to stop him as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss.  He could feel her go limp against his chest and he tightened his embrace.  Despite his own desires, he ended the kiss with a light brush of his lips on hers.  "Goodnight."

"Same."  She stepped back and fumbled with the keycard, finally getting it to work and the door open.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie quickly pulled out of the kiss when she heard the jiggling of the doorknob in the other room.  "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

Shawn cocked his head sideways and listened.  "How did you hear that?" he asked with a furrowed brow as the noise stopped.

"It must be Therese.  Hurry!"  Stephanie grabbed Shawn's shoes and shoved them at him.  She kept searching the room.  "Where's your jacket?" she asked exasperatedly.

"I didn't wear one," he answered as he finished pulling on his boots.

"You got everything you came with?"  He nodded.  The rattling started again.  "Okay, um, I'll talk to you later.  Um, be careful."  

She pushed him towards to the door and he mouthed, "Be careful?"  Shawn opened the heavy door and waved 'bye.'  

"I'm back."  Stephanie heard Therese shout from the other room as she shut the door behind Shawn.  She jerked off her clothes and threw on a robe.  Her head swam from the amount of wine she had had to drink that evening and she had to hold on to the wall to steady herself.  "Enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah, it was great."

"Someone got a kiss," Stephanie taunted.

"Where's Shane?" Therese asked to change the subject.

"He just left.  So, how was the kiss?"

"Why didn't he wait?" Therese asked, ignoring her.

"The movie went off and I knew you would be back soon, so I told him to go on," Stephanie replied, nonchalantly.

"I don't like it.  But since nothing happened, I'm not gonna say anything."  She yawned wide.  "I'm going to bed.  'Night."

"'Night," Stephanie replied, then settled down at the vanity and brushed her hair out.  She traced a finger over her lips and smiled.  _The one time I need to talk someone, I can't!  _She sighed and climbed into bed, succumbing to the somnambulant drinks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC… 

Author's Notes: I'm not very happy with this chapter but I'm tired of working on it. Sorry it's not all that great. By the way, I promise with all promises that I had the kissing scene at the hockey game written LONG before I saw _How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. _Please don't flame me!

Quick disclaimer: Unfortunately, I was not in attendance at the third game of the Stanley Cup. I took quite a bit of liberty with the game to suit my purposes and have absolutely no idea exactly what happened except the outcome of the game (I was in Bulgaria at the time of this game and did not get it recorded either.) If anyone has any suggestions, I am willing to listen.


	14. Anaheim to New York to Anaheim

Chapter XIV:  Anaheim to New York to Anaheim

Instead of going straight to bed, Therese knew she had to call Evan to satisfy him.  Not much would do it at first.  She did all but say that she used Nash to attend the game.  He finally gave up picking at her when she promised him that they weren't dating and that he had no worries of her bringing home the Heart "Stank" Kid's best friend.

Not that she wouldn't like to bring home HBK's best friend.  _Why does life have to be this cruel? she thought, tossing the cell phone aside after the call.  Her legs were still like jelly from his goodnight kiss.  __Now she had a dilemma.  Playing hard to get had been impossible.  Kevin had her pegged and she couldn't get away from him without flatly refusing him.  Problem was that she didn't want to refuse him—at least, not after tonight.  They had connected well, well enough that she wouldn't turn him down if she was just Therese, security agent and her brother's guardian.  No, she was Therese, personal assistant to the billion dollar princess and only child with no life.  _

Would there really be any harm in dating when they had the chance?  She couldn't be expected to give up her life twenty-four hours a day for the duration of the assignment, could she?  Actually, she was being paid good money to do so.  When this was over, maybe there would be a chance.  Yet, would he want the real Therese?  How would he take knowing he had been lied to?  Would they even still be dating when it was over with?  _This better not take that long! _she wanted to exclaim out loud.  This was only their first real date.  It was not like she needed to make a split second life-altering decision.  _One step at a time, she told herself, __one step at a time.  _

Stephanie was the least worried of the two.  Her relationship with Shawn was progressing nicely in her eyes, well actually, under her eyelids.  In the hotel a few blocks away, the man in her dreams was not exactly of the same mind.

"I kissed the boss' daughter, Kevin!" Shawn yelled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Did she kiss you back?"

"Yeah," he replied quieter.

"Then what's the problem?" Nash asked, rolling his eyes.

"C'mon, man.  This is serious stuff," Shawn replied, sitting down on his bed to face Kevin.

"I don't think Vince cares in the slightest.  Have you heard a word she's said about him?  You could beat the hell out of her and he would be upset because you didn't include him."

Shawn laughed quietly but then grew serious.  "I don't think it's that bad.  They're just going through one of their father-daughter phases.  When they come out of it, I'm in trouble."

"She's an adult.  If you've been paying _any_ attention, you'd know she can handle him.  Besides, McMahon didn't do a thing when Bischoff practically assaulted her last Halloween."

"Yeah, I know—to all of that."

"Then what's the problem?"  Shawn didn't say anything.  "Shawn," Kevin said sternly.

"We kinda had a lot to drink," he answered, dropping his head.

"Did you get her drunk?"

"No!" he said, shaking his head and standing up.  "But I'm not sure we would have had that…moment if she hadn't drunk so much."

"Why did you let her have that much?"  Kevin asked, watching him start to pace.

Shawn stopped and said, "It kinda just happened."

"Maybe it was meant to happen."

Shawn slowed down as if he was in thought and then turned to Kevin, "_I'm_ the romantic, not you."

"Maybe _I_ am.  I got a kiss and don't feel guilty about it."

"Did you really?  Second date too?" Shawn asked quickly, settling back down on the bed.

"Possibly," he said with a grin.  With that, the conversation turned to Therese's and Kevin's date.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie and Therese were in Anaheim for the week since Therese had met Kevin for the game.  Monday morning found both women engrossed in their work.  Stephanie was trying to get ahead so that they could possibly go home for the weekend.  Therese was running preliminary checks on all the visitors to SmackDown! last week and comparing all the other sparse reports that security had been able to dig up from the past few months.  Nothing stood out yet as a possible lead.  She was about to take a break to call ahead to the restaurant for lunch when her cell phone rang her newest tone, "Another One Bites the Dust."  She liked changing them every week—it kept people guessing whose phone was ringing.

The number registered as Evan's school.  _Dear God, _she sent up a prayer as she answered.

"Rese, how ya doing?" Evan cheerfully asked.

"I'm fine, Evan, and I still better be when you tell me why you're calling," she replied, mocking his tone.

"You always have me figured it out.  It's not fair," he said with a pout.

"Spill it."

"The school needs your permission for Vera to pick me up."

"And?"  She knew there was more and that it wasn't good.

"Your acknowledgement that I've been suspended for two days," he replied absentmindedly, like a little girl twirling her hair.

"Evan Mitchell Blair!  What did you do?"

"Therese Renee Blair! I got into a fight," he replied in the same tone.

The line was silent as Therese attempted to process the news and Evan waited for her to bless him out.  Finally, she spoke as calmly as possible, "What happened?"

"First, I gave him a European uppercut.  Then I put the Angle Lock on him—" Evan enthusiastically explained.

"Evan!" she said sternly to interrupt him.  "Is this because of my date?"

"No…"

"Then, why?"

"He said something bad about Mom and about…and about you," the boy answered quietly.

"Honey, there is nothing that anybody can say about me that's worth getting in a fight over."

"Yes, there is!" he replied adamantly.  

"There's no point discussing it while you're at school.  If Vera can't pick you up, call me back and I'll find someone who can.  Now," Therese took a big breath, "put me on the phone with whoever I have to speak with."

A few moments of muffled voices passed and then a woman spoke, "Miss Blair, this is Mrs. Sloan, the school counselor.  We have to have your permission for Evan to leave school early."

"Yes, ma'am.  Vera Morgan will be coming to get him.  She's the one who picks him up every afternoon.   If Vera can't, Evan will call me back and we'll get it straightened out."

"Miss Blair, you do understand why he's being suspended?" the older woman asked in a schoolmarm voice.

_I'm not a little kid, she wanted to reply.  "Yes, I do.  As soon as I return home, Evan and I will have a long talk and discuss his punishment accordingly."_

"Have you considered family therapy?"

"Excuse me?" Therese asked astonished.

"Do you think it's a possibility that he's reacting this way because he has been in the care of a babysitter for over three weeks?"

"There is a chance.  I have never left him with anyone for that long except in the summers when he goes to camp.  He does fine when he's at camp," she answered with an edge of anger to her voice.

Mrs. Sloan calmly replied, "I know about his family history and school records and I'm concerned about your guardianship."

"My guardianship?  I work my a—I work my tail off to see that he has everything he needs and wants and to put him in a decent school and you question my ability to care for him?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Providing money is not the same as providing care."

"I'm not having this discussion with you over the phone…if ever.  Fax my work the slip that I need to sign and you'll have it back before he returns to school.  Thank you for time, Mrs. Sloan.  Have a good day."  Therese was so angry and frustrated that she yelled and threw the papers she had been working on across the room.  The yell immediately diminished into tears and silent sobs.  This was not the first or the second time that Evan had been suspended for fighting in eight years of school.  Each time, he had a different excuse.  Then, to add insult to injury, the counselor had questioned her parenting abilities and blamed the problem on their family history.  Raising a new teenager was frustrating enough and this work assignment was not helping.  She had no idea what would happen when she finally went home.

Therese had not even noticed Stephanie was in the room until the younger woman slipped an arm around her back to console her.  Therese didn't care who it was as she laid her head on Stephanie's shoulder and allowed the sobs out that threatened to overwhelm her.  Stephanie said nothing as she stroked Therese's hair and rubbed her arm.  When the crying was down to sniffles, she quietly asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I…I don't…d-d-don't want t-t-to bother…you."

"You won't.  Tell me what happened."  

Therese quietly relayed the entire conversation.  "Can you imagine someone questioning your ability to do the most important thing in your life?"

"Yes, I can.  I understand," Stephanie answered, her mind flitting over the past couple of shows.

"I mean, there's a little screw-up—okay, we had a big screw-up—who am I kidding?  It's so hard to be a parent, especially to a child who's not yours."

"Tell me about your family," Stephanie said, a little curious but also thinking it might help her to keep talking.

"There is no family," she replied, standing up and walking to the balcony windows.

"For some reason, you're raising your brother, who is much younger than you, and you haven't said a word about your parents."

Therese whipped around to glare at her.  "You just want to know why a single thirty-one year old woman is stuck with her teenage brother and her sorry parents aren't raising him."

Stephanie resisted the urge to just walk out.  "No, I don't," she quietly responded.  "I thought you might want to talk.  You don't ever talk about any of your family."

Therese sighed before starting into the usual routine of explaining her family situation.  "I joke that my high school graduation present was my little brother.  Evan was a little bit of a surprise.  Mom died hours after he was born.  I stayed close to home to finish school and help Dad.  Evan was five when Dad was killed in a carwreck and Evan's been mine ever since.  When I was given the option of training in Atlanta, I took him straight there in hopes that we could start another life away from so much hurt but I was transferred back to New York after two years and we've been trying to make this work ever since.  Evan's had a tough time but I thought, still think, he's doing fine considering the circumstances."

"Sounds like _you've_ had a hard life too."

Therese shook her head.  "I don't look at it that way.  I love Evan and would do anything for him.  I sound like a single mother who's made a mistake, but I wouldn't trade anything for him.  It's just that…I get really tired trying to be a mother and a sister.  It's been nice to sorta have this break from having to play so many roles, but, in reality, I've just added another role."

"I bet you're a wonderful parent, legal guardian, sister, what would you call yourself?" Stephanie asked with a smile.

"You name it, I'm it," she sighed but returned the smile.

Stephanie opened her mouth to say something but her stomach growled.  The two giggled and Therese offered to call the restaurant for lunch.  After the meal, they returned to their work from earlier in the morning until food called out to them again.  Therese was drained, so they stayed in.  

In the middle of eating, Stephanie's phone rang.  She glanced at the CallerID.  "It's Shane.  I'll call him back when we get done."  Within minutes, her cell went off again.  She rolled her eyes and said, "Now, it's Mom.  I'm not in the mood."  By the time they were done, the phone rang again.  "It's Shane again."

"You better answer that this time.  I hope everything's fine," Therese stated, starting to clear the table.

Stephanie answered the phone and disappeared into her room.  She was treated to her brother yelling at her.  "Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

"Because I would like an uninterrupted meal," she bit out at him.

"Steph, sit down," she said, his tone completely different.

"Shane, don't do this to me.  What's going on?"

"Steph, Freddie Blassie died today."

"Don't joke with me," she nervously laughed.  "What do you want?"

"I'm not joking.  We just found out," he replied, his voice shaky.

She knew he wasn't lying but could hardly believe it.  She forced her next words out.  "When's the funeral?"

"They've not made the arrangements yet but it'll probably be Thursday or Friday."

"I'm coming to be with you all," she said quickly and stood to start packing.

"But you're already in Anaheim.  The show's in less than four days."

"I don't care.  I'll fly back Thursday morning," Stephanie replied, throwing her suitcase on the bed.

"What if the funeral's on Friday?" Shane asked, trying to talk some sense into her.

"Then I'll be back on the plane."

"California to New York is a long way," her brother protested.

"I know, so I better get going.  When are you going to be with the family?" 

"I'm already here," he sighed.

"I'll call you when I get to the airport.  Shane…I love you," she said and sat back down on the bed.

"I love you too, Steph.  Be careful."  She stared at the wall, trying to swallow the emotions that were welling up.  She wanted to squall but always felt like she had a hang-over afterward.  She tried to push the thoughts from her mind.

When Therese didn't hear voices anymore, she knocked on the door.  Stephanie didn't answer.  Worried, Therese went on in to find her sitting on the bed, her eyes glazed over in shock.  "Stephanie, what's wrong?"

"Freddie died."

"Freddie Blassie?"

"Yeah," she said and then looked up at her.  "I keep telling myself that if I don't think about it, I don't have to deal with it…but, it's not…"  Her face screwed up, threatening tears.  "…not…working."  The waterworks turned on and Therese rushed over to her.  She wrapped her arms around her and rocked her like she would her brother when he was little.  Therese said nothing as Stephanie's tears left splotches on her shirt.  When her weeping turned to small hiccups, Therese released her hold on Stephanie and stroked her hair.

"Do you need to talk?" she soothingly asked.

"Where have I heard that today?" Stephanie replied with a sniff.

"I just want to return the favor."

"I don't know if I can talk now…he was like a grandfather to me, so…so it's really hard…It's not right.  He's a legend…a…a hero.  Heroes don't die."  The tears started slipping out again.  "I'm not—not going to c-cry again."

"If you need it, go ahead."

Stephanie took a deep breath to regain her composure.  "I'm going to meet Shane and spend time with Freddie's family."

"What do you need me to do?" Therese asked.

"Nothing, really.  I'll have to make my own plane reservations."

"We need to talk about what we're going to do.  I know Shane will take care of you and I definitely don't want to intrude upon something so private.  If you let me know what time your flights are, I'll leave after you and be here before you get back."

"'Kay," Stephanie replied with a sniffle.

The next hour was spent in a flurry of phone calls and packing.  Stephanie had gotten the last seat on a flight that left in less than three hours and Therese's took off shortly thereafter.  Once on the way to the airport, the women were silent, each in their own thoughts of the day's events.  Every once and a while, Therese would put a hand on Stephanie's arm and pat it before asking if she was okay.  The answer was always the same, a very quiet "yeah."

After a long, stern talk with Shane about her safety, Therese put Stephanie on the plane.  For the first time in weeks, Therese was alone and not responsible for a soul.  She settled into one of the plastic seats to wait and think…think about how she was going to deal with Evan when she returned home.  It was useless and she slipped into thinking about the other male in her life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Shane!" Stephanie yelled out to catch his attention, although he had seen her before she had taken a step out of the portal.  Despite being in an airport where security was almost as heavy as at the Pentagon, she still felt extremely nervous but now Shane was with her.

Her brother caught her up in a hug.  "Be honest.  How are you doing?" he asked, placing his hands on the sides of her head.

A couple of tears leaked out.  "I'm really fine concerning the circumstances.  You?"

"Yeah."

"How 'bout Mom and Dad?"

"About the same.  They're not here yet," he answered, wrapping an arm around her and leading her outside.  "It's late.  Let's get to the hotel."  They settled into a limo and Stephanie finally relaxed.  "You haven't talked about Therese in several days.  How's that going?"

"Really odd.  She has been incredible today."

"You're not fighting anymore?" Shane asked with a shocked look.

"Not today, at least.  She had a small family crisis and we talked a little about it and then this happens and she was really understanding," Stephanie answered with a sigh.

"Fingers crossed, it'll last," Shane said with a smile to lighten the mood.

"First, fingers crossed, I'll get through this."  Stepping outside the car, Stephanie braced herself for a difficult three days.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Therese tiptoed into her apartment and quietly placed her luggage in her bedroom.  Vera had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for her.  She stuck her head in Evan's room to find him fast asleep, his hockey figures scattered across the foot of his bed.  Back in the living room, she gently shook Vera awake and helped her two floors down to her own apartment, leaving an envelope with a bonus on her coffee table.  Therese sank into her bed, grateful to have her own pillow and blanket again.

She awoke to Evan calling out for Vera.  Saying nothing, she stepped out of the bedroom to his shocked eyes.  "You're home!" he yelped and launched himself into her arms.  "When did you get in?  How long are you here?"

"Hold on."

He quickly stepped back, his face turning somber.  "Did you come home because I'm in trouble?"

"I guess you know that Freddie Blassie passed away yesterday."  He nodded solemnly.  "Stephanie's with the family, so I decided to come home for a couple of days."

"I know we have to talk, but I'm really happy you're here," he said and the corners of his mouth twitched up.

"Me too," she replied and hugged him again.  "I'll make us some breakfast and then maybe we'll have the talk."

"Okay," he replied, dejectedly.

Therese tried to remain as stern as possible throughout their conversation and while he quietly listened to his punishment.  The minute she walked out the door, Vera was going to get an earful from Evan about what he was grounded from.  However, she relented for the two days they were together because she couldn't handle his moping about with nothing to do but follow her around on her errands.  The only reason Evan _didn't_ want to return to school was because Therese wouldn't be home when he got out and, well, because that idiot that he got in a fight with would still be there.

Therese boarded her plane about the time Stephanie was packing to leave.  Both were thinking that they had only a few more precious hours alone before the dreaded routine started again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…


	15. Crisis After Crisis After Crisis

Author's Notes:  I know the last chapter was a bit boring but I couldn't leave out Freddie Blassie and I needed a bridge chapter into this one.  Plus, for one moment, I wanted to give Stephanie and Therese a feeling of connection before putting them back at each other's throats.

**_Chapter XV: Crisis After Crisis After Crisis_**

The dreaded routine became more than dreaded.  It was close to a nightmare by the end of SmackDown!  Piper's Pit began the show with Piper running his mouth about Zach Gowen before Vince McMahon joined in.  He actually gave a veiled apology and stated that Gowen was an American success story and, of course, comparing that with himself.  Since success is not handed to someone, according to him, he offered the chance for the young man to earn a WWE contract.  At that point, Gowen came to the ring, escorted by Mr. America.  Insults were exchanged before the challenge was extended—an armwrestling contest.  McMahon would represent the WWE and, if his arm goes down, then Zach wins the contract.  Hogan quickly offered to be Vince's opponent.  However, McMahon quickly countered with the stipulation that Gowen would be going against him.  Hogan and the teenager attacked and sent McMahon, Piper, and O'Haire running.  After more insults from McMahon, the trio disappeared, laughing over the incident.

With tomorrow's funeral looming over her and then her barely making it through the video tribute to Blassie, Stephanie threw herself into critiquing every bit of the show.  Once she got over her initial anger at Vince demanding the arm wrestling match with Zach, she was able to concentrate on her job since she was behind on paperwork and the like.  They were minutes away from the main event when the person Stephanie had been avoiding showed up.  She and Therese were on their way back from a break when Stephanie caught Vince McMahon coming out of her office.  She wasted no time in starting on him, questioning his judgment with the armwrestling contest and defending Zach Gowen.  She drew herself up and stated that she would give him a contract if McMahon wouldn't.  He quickly countered, telling her that she would be fired for doing so.  Therese quietly stood by, ready to strike if need be but more than willing to let this family spat pass over.

"Now you calm your little self down," he said, seeing his daughter's distraught face, "'cause you need some assistance…I'm not so sure that you don't need some psychological help.  You definitely need help around the office 'cause the other one you've got is worthless.  As a matter of fact, I've hired you a new assistant."

_Excuse me? Therese thought while Stephanie's mind echoed the same thing.  The brunette promptly protested, "I do not need a _new_ assistant."_

"The hell you don't?  You've got one now whether you want one or not.  Meet your new assistant."  He ushered her into the office, Therese a few steps behind, to introduce her to Sable.  The golden-haired woman had acted in almost every "job" that a woman like she could in the WWE—valet, wrestler, eyecandy, slut, mistress, and more.  

The look of disgust on Stephanie's face was more than obvious.  "Tell me, Dad, what _position is Sable qualified for?"_

With an apparent perverted look on his face, he answered that she was "eminently qualified for a number of _positions."  Stephanie quickly reminded him that she sued the company over supposed sexual harassment and posed the question of Sable's looks making him forget the lawsuit.  She accused Sable of just wanting money in her lawsuit, jumping on the bandwagon of others' lawsuits, and now garnering his attention with her body to get her hands on more money.  McMahon countered, saying that she was so upset because she was jealous of her new assistant's looks.  Sable slid off the desk and looked Stephanie up and down.  Stephanie rolled her eyes and stared at the wall in anger._

No one seemed to move but Stephanie finally walked around behind her desk and began checking the things that had been moved.  Sable followed her with her eyes, saying nothing.  Stephanie wouldn't let her father's words bother her.  She was trying to be more worried about what that slut had done to her desk.

Therese was highly uncomfortable with it all, so she broke the silence.  "Stephanie, is there something you need Sable to do for you?"  Sable turned to look Therese up and down.  She was just a bit shorter but her body was that of perfection.  Her long, straight tresses made Therese's look the color of plain brown.  She wouldn't lie that she was a little jealous of the woman's body but at least her face didn't look as if she had had several face lifts.

"Hmmm…Yes, there is.  Bring me and Therese some coffee and then you're excused for the night," she replied absentmindedly and began checking the drawers for stolen or moved items, thinking about how she was going to give Gowen a contract without getting fired.  The GM didn't really care what kind of success story the boy was.  She wanted to give him a contract now just to spite her father.

With Sable out of the room, they both exhaled loudly.  Stephanie began first.  "I can't believe my own father would say those things about me."

"I can't believe he would hire another assistant," Therese said more to herself than to Stephanie.

"I don't need psychological help," the GM continued indignantly.

"That's debatable," the other woman muttered.

"What?"

"I'm sorry.  I thought you said 'office help.'  You needing administrative help is possibly a debatable issue," Therese quickly covered.

"Then he has the gall to hire _that woman.  He definitely has something up his sleeve…" she trailed off, tapping a pen to her chin in thought._

"Well, duh," Therese mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I was referring to the match."

_I bet, Stephanie thought.  "Well, we're just going to figure a way out for the both of us to deal with Sable."_

"Is it possible to even tolerate that woman?" Therese said, turning around in the chair to face Stephanie.

"I don't know, but that's where we have to start.  Say as little as possible in front of her.  She and my dad need as little ammo as possible against me.  I'll figure out a way to get rid of—"

"To get rid of what?" Sable asked, coming back in the office.

"This stain on my skirt," Stephanie replied, wiping an imaginary spot on the white material.  She then added with a hint of anger, "By the way, you always knock first before coming in."

Sable set a cup of coffee down on Stephanie's desk and settled on the edge.  She glanced at Therese and then clapped her hands to her mouth in mock surprise.  "I forgot yours."

"I'm sure," Therese commented, not trying in the least to hide her sarcasm.

Stephanie looked up at Sable.  "You're dismissed.  There is nothing you can do tonight.  I don't really care if I see you next Monday."  Sable slowly stood and turned to leave, glaring at Therese as she made her trek across the room. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For what felt like the two hundredth time, the two ladies flew across the country back to New York that night.  Jetlag was killing them and they barely slogged out of bed to get to the church on time.  Therese seriously contemplated staying at the hotel but thought it extremely rude not to attend since she was staying with Stephanie.  When they arrived, Vince McMahon gave her the evil eye.  She was about to fade into the background when Stephanie's mother accosted her.

"Miss Blair, I'm so glad to finally meet you," Linda said, shaking Therese's had.   "Stephanie has said such wonderful things about you.  I think you are so good for her, especially now that she has to deal with Sable."

"Oh, I'm just doing my job," she replied and shook her head.

"Well, whatever you are doing, thank you for keeping her together.  It's about time for the service to start.  It's good to meet you," Linda finished and let go of the younger woman's hand.

People began filing into the pews.  Stephanie took her place with her family one row back from the front.  Therese felt she had no place there.  She figured that she could let everyone have a seat and settle in the back so she could keep her eye on everything.  Picking at her black dress, she tried to look inconspicuous.

"Someone looks lovely today," a voice behind her whispered.  She turned around to find a very handsome Kevin Nash in a dark navy blue suit.

"Thank you," she replied with a blush.  "I didn't know you would be here."

"I didn't think I could make it, but here I am.  Come sit with us."  He didn't wait for an answer, taking her by the elbow and leading her halfway down the church to where Shawn Michaels was seated.  All she could do was think about the man beside her.  She felt guilty and irreverent for thinking such things at a funeral service, even if she didn't know the person.  The church became stifling hot but no one else seemed to feel as warm.  A million people, besides the minister with a eulogy, wanted to say something about Mr. Blassie.  Somewhere in the middle of it all, Kevin snaked his hand into hers and squeezed.  She looked up at him and he gave a faint smile that seemed to say, "We'll be out of here eventually."  She sent a one-sided grin back to let him know she understood but he didn't let go of her hand.  Therese wasn't an old-fashioned gal but something about holding hands in church felt wrong.  Yet, she didn't let go, even when he caressed the inside of her palm with his thumb.  

When the service was over, the throng filed out, Kevin still holding her hand.  They stepped aside as everyone milled about.  "You and Steph want to get lunch with us?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, we can't.  We're eating with Mrs. McMahon and Shane and Marissa.  Sorry."

"That's okay," Shawn said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I would invite you if I could," she replied, placing a hand on his arm apologetically.

The aforementioned people made their way over to the trio.  The usual greetings were made and Stephanie asked if Therese was ready to go.  Kevin wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug.  Eyebrows raised all around.  

"You guys wanna go with us?" Shane abruptly asked.

"We don't want to intrude," Shawn replied, waving them away.

"No, come on with us," Stephanie persuaded.

"If you're gonna twist my arm," Shawn replied with a grin.

Shawn and Kevin started for their car and Stephanie pushed Therese in their direction.  "I've got Shane," she mouthed.  Therese shook her head and ran to catch up with the other two.

Lunch was quieter than normal with that many loud-mouths at the table but it did lift their spirits from the earlier service.  Shawn and Stephanie did their best to refrain from looking at each other.  They had talked throughout the week as if nothing had happened between them and they tried to give that impression to the others.  Not knowing what was going on, they had independently thought it best to not let anyone know of their interest.  Everyone else at the table assumed that Nash and Michaels had been invited for Therese's sake since she and Kevin were obviously dating.  Unfortunately for them all, lunch was over and they all had different planes to catch.  Kevin and Shawn were on their way to Miami while Stephanie and Therese would be staying two nights in Stamford.

Stephanie's house was ridiculously large.  Therese's entire apartment fit in half of the bottom half of the house.  The home was bought with what she had sold her and her ex-husband's.  Stephanie seemed to gloat about the fact that she had gotten the house in the divorce and then sold it.  Since the estate had a security system, Therese chose to get lost and stay out of Stephanie's way as much as possible.  Stephanie found her in the heated pool on Saturday when she needed to make a trip to the home office.

"They're open on Saturdays?" Therese asked, toweling off.

"This is my dad's company we're talking about here.  Of course, he makes some people work on Saturday," Stephanie answered with a look on her face that said, "Shouldn't you know?"  She then quickly said, "They get some other day off during the week though."

WWE headquarters was more massive than it seemed on television.  Therese couldn't believe that they used all that space for the administration of WWE.  Stephanie's office was on the top floor, along with the other higher-ups in the company.  The intent was only to be there a few hours.  Stephanie settled at her desk and began filtering through her inbox.  Therese picked up a couple of files as a decoy and ambled about, Stephanie always within sight.  She eventually tired of that game since there was no one to watch and settled at a secretary's desk that was across from Stephanie's office.  

After a couple of hours, the GM asked if Therese didn't mind getting them coffee.  After much debate and locking Stephanie in the office, Therese set out for the employee lounge.  She passed by Vince's office and noticed him inside, papers everywhere.  She hurried by in hopes of him not seeing her.  With the coffee in tow, she tiptoed as quickly as possible past his office but, out of the corner of her eye, she saw his head jerk up.  Therese made a beeline for Stephanie's office with Vince close on her heels.  Stephanie saw them coming and swiftly unlocked the door.  Therese barely got turned around from setting the cups down when Vince started in on them.

"I thought I named Sable your new assistant."

"Do you see her here?" Stephanie asked.

"I do see someone here that shouldn't be."  His steely eyes turned towards Therese.

"And why exactly?" the GM asked of the Chairman.

"Sable is your assistant now."

"I have two then," Stephanie replied and returned to the chair behind the desk.

"No, you don't," Vince responded and turned to Therese.  "Miss Blair, I suggest you get lost."

"Stephanie hired me, Stephanie fires me," the blonde replied with a cocky grin.

"Oh, really?  In case you haven't checked lately, I own this company.  I can fire anyone I want.  Miss Blair, you are fired.  Leave now before I call security."  He returned the same smug grin.

"That won't be necessary, _Dad.  I'm done here.  I'll see her out."  _

Vince stood in the doorway to watch Stephanie pack up her things and followed them to the elevator as if they wouldn't if his presence wasn't there.

"Now what do we do?" Therese asked once inside.

"We'll work it out.  I have some ideas."

"Anytime you're ready, please elaborate."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie threw herself into her work once they arrived in Orlando.  She was behind enough as it was from last week and Shawn had insisted on setting Therese and Kevin up again since they were in the general area.  She was tired of working behind a hotel room desk and sick of the crises that popped up every week.  An evening out with Shawn was precisely what she needed…but little did she know she wasn't exactly getting it.

The young GM was settled on her bed, laptop open for notes, watching RAW.  It was getting easier to watch now that she had more of a vested interest in the show by the name of Shawn Michaels.  Why in the world he was helping the Hurricane, she had no idea but just enjoyed seeing him in the ring.  Seeing Triple H get the hell beat out of him by Nash was bittersweet.  She still hated him for what he did to her but still had that feeling of first love for who he was.  It didn't matter, she would see Shawn tomorrow night and Hunter would be the last thing on her mind.

While Stephanie was enjoying RAW, Therese and Evan were on the phone together for three hours, watching the deciding game of the Stanley Cup—the beauty of nationwide phone plans.  As the last second ticked down in favor of the New Jersey Devils, Vera asked to talk to Therese.

"How was the game?" Vera asked.

"You didn't watch it?"

"No, I was on the phone overseas," she replied with a sigh.

"Everything okay?" Therese quickly asked.

"I don't want to add bad news to Anaheim losing but…"

Therese slowly headed into Stephanie's room, the frustrated lines around her eyes beginning to tell her age.  She rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.  "I have some not-so-great news."

"Yeah, sorry about the game," Stephanie replied, clicking the television off.

"No, that's not it," she replied, her shoulders dropping further.  "My babysitter's grandmother in France died.  She's the executrix of the will and could be over there for some time."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Thanks, but it doesn't end there."  Therese took a big breath and spoke again, "Evan doesn't leave for camp for two weeks.  I've called all of his friends' families that would be willing to keep him and, well, we're out of luck."

"And you're telling me this why?" Stephanie asked with raised eyebrows.

"School ended last week, so he's got to come on the road with us until he leaves for basketball camp."

"No, that's not gonna work.  Have you called everybody you know?" the brunette asked, not wanting or needing another crisis.

"I've called everybody that I can," Therese answered with downcast eyes.

"We'll figure something else out," Stephanie quickly said, rising from the bed.

"Vera leaves in the morning.  I don't have another choice," Therese pleaded.

"Just for a couple of days.  Then we'll figure out something else."

_There **is nothing else, the older woman thought, **__but at least it's a start.  "Thanks.  I'll be picking him up late morning at the airport."_

Both of them suffered through a long night wondering how all of this would work out.  Therese slept little working out the kinks in the plans.  It would just be easier for her to go home for two weeks but what would that do for everything they had worked on?  Even more, what would Evan's presence do?  In a way, it seemed to prove that Therese was just a normal person who was working for Stephanie.  Yet, the first mistake had been made by Therese using her real name.  With Evan's presence, a person could link the two together and identify her and her job, blowing the entire operation.

Stephanie was extremely annoyed with it all.  If Evan was anything like his sister, she wouldn't be able to handle them both.  She planned on getting on his good side straightaway and nipping the problem in the bud.  When Therese warned her that she was Evan's favorite woman in wrestling, she asked to see a picture of him.  Therese pulled one up on her computer.  "He's gonna be a lady killer," Stephanie commented.  "Let's go get him."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

Author's Notes:  I obviously took a little bit of liberty with Stephanie and Vince's words regarding the hiring of Sable as an assistant and Stephanie already having Therese as one.  Hopefully, it'll make for a better story as we go along.


	16. Irksome Ire

Author's Notes:  I realized this morning that I had done something pretty stupid in this story and have backed myself into a "name" corner.  I chose Therese's brother's name as "Evan" because I liked the name.  Then I chose "Kevin" as the love interest because I'm being so mean to him in my other two fics.  Little did I realize that the two men in my original character's life have rhyming names!!  I swear I never meant for it to be that dorky but it's too late to turn back.  Hope you don't mind and didn't want you to think it was on purpose.  :)

**_Chapter XVI:  Irksome Ire_**

Stephanie decided that she wanted to be the one to greet Evan to immediately "charm" him.  Therese hid behind her and waited to watch his reaction.  The look on his face at seeing Stephanie was one of absolute shock.  His eyes went wide and he wasn't sure how to react.  This woman that he had watched for years and would have done anything to meet hugged _him _and gave _him _a kiss on the cheek.  Therese couldn't take it any longer and made her way out of the crowd.  He pointed at her and spluttered unintelligible words.  "When did we forget to talk?" she asked.  His reply was a punch to her arm.

In the limo, all Evan wanted to do was talk to and about Stephanie.  Out of the month they had been separated, he and his sister had only spent two days together.  Therese was trying to hold in her jealousy.  

"I hate to break this up," she said, "but we've got to get some things together between us three.  Evan, you can't exactly go by Evan or Mitchell.  If you could have any name, what would it be?"

"Undertaker!" he said with a hopeful look.

"Okay, are we four or thirteen?"

"I was just joking.  Lighten up, 'Rese.  I want to be Mark."  With the most important decision over, they settled on Therese being the godmother of Mark Evans, who was in her care while his mother is in the hospital.

"Can he do this?" Stephanie whispered when Evan was out of earshot.

"In all reality, he's better suited for this job when it comes to acting," she quietly laughed.

"Have you told Kevin he's here?" the brunette asked.

"Nope and I take it that you've not told Shawn."  Therese folded her arms across her chest.  "What are we doing tonight anyhow?"

"Bowling."

"Well, I guess Evan won't stick out too much.  It's just getting him to get over who we're with."

"He doesn't like Shawn and Kevin?" Stephanie asked with surprise.

"Don't get him started," the blonde answered with a roll of her eyes.  "I guess I ought to break it to him or to Kevin and Shawn that we're not coming."

"Oh, no, we're going," Stephanie responded adamantly.

"Then you tell him."  Minutes later, a dreamy-eyed Evan agreed.

Shawn and Kevin acted as if they had no problem with Evan being there.  Therese's theory was beginning to be proved right-if he spent time with them, he would come to like them.  The poor boy couldn't decide whom to talk more to when confronted by three WWE superstars.  He seemed to be dazed when meeting up with the two guys and seemed to turn in circles as to where to begin, the list of questions he had made so he wouldn't forget everything he wanted to ask hanging limp in his hand.

Over supper, Therese explained the "situation" of "Mark's" presence.  

"Sorry about your mom," Kevin said to Evan.  "I hope she gets better soon."

"Thanks," he replied, producing a little sniffle.  Therese lightly kicked his foot to remind him to cut the theatrics.

"Man, you can stay with us tonight if that'll help you feel better," Shawn offered, then glanced at Nash, who nodded his approval.

Evan produced another sniffle and then looked up at Therese with a pout, hoping she would say 'yes.'

"Guys, I can't ask you to do that.  He's my responsibility," Therese protested and, in turn, received a kick to her foot that was heavier than the one she had delivered.  _Besides, you're only doing this to impress Stephanie and me_, she thought as she rubbed the offended foot against the back of her other leg.

"It's okay.  It'll be the guys hanging out, doing guy things and the girls doing girl things.  It'll give you ladies some privacy," Shawn said, continuing to try to persuade her.

She felt she could trust them.  Glancing at Stephanie with her pleading eyes, Therese nodded.  "Yeah.  It'll only be for a night, so why not?"  She thought she was going to have to sit on Evan to help him contain his excitement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie was angry with Evan being there but she couldn't determine anything else to do with him.  If Shane himself wasn't traversing the country left and right, she would try to send Evan to him.  She wanted time with Shawn, not Shawn and some kid.  It wasn't that Evan was trouble or annoying.  He was quite a charming kid, but she just couldn't be with Shawn without him.  He and Kevin had taken him under their wing over the past few days instead of going on to Texas and had kept him entertained.  Now, he was off with Hulk Hogan, meeting every SmackDown! superstar willing to talk to him.  She and Therese had both agreed that maybe it was best that Michaels and Nash not come to the arena since no other RAW employee was welcome.

SmackDown! was about to start and Sable had yet to "report" to her new job as assistant.  Stephanie and Therese were still nervous over the whole situation and were hoping the woman wouldn't come.  Their hopes were dashed as the show's montage opened and the blonde bimbo knocked on the door.  Therese opened it up and the already tight skin around Sable's eyes widened.  "What are _you _doing here?  _I'm _her assistant."

"And I'm just her friend, hanging around.  You're late.  You better get to work."  Sable glared back before sitting down on Stephanie's desk and asking what she needed done.  She set Sable to organizing some files and typing several documents.  Sable talked non-stop about how wonderful a boss Vince McMahon was being.  Stephanie took it as long as possible and pulled Therese from the room.  

"Let's go find something to drink.  I can't handle her one more minute."  The two ambled about for a while until the thought struck about the havoc Sable could be wreaking with Stephanie's computer and files.  "We have to go back.  God knows what she's in," she abruptly said and almost ran back to the room at breakneck speed.  "Be warned, a camera," Stephanie said, turning to Therese, when she saw the camera crew waiting outside the office.  Yes, she wanted the camera crew following what others did, but not her.  However, she couldn't reverse the decision for herself only.

She pushed the door open to see Sable quickly typing away at the computer.  Stephanie asked her if she had found Zach Gowen's contract.  Of course, she had not but she did state that she had noticed that Stephanie was bringing back the U. S. title.  The brunette picked up the magazine with Sable on the cover and glanced at it before deliberately tossing it aside in front of Sable.

"Thank you for ruining the surprise," she responded to the announcement of the U. S. title.  "And, uh, Sable, listen, you might try to sweet talk me and try to lie to me and say you were just looking for Zach Gowen's contract but I don't trust you."

"But, Stephanie, I'm your assistant. I'm only here to help," Sable innocently protested.  If Therese had not known her history, she would have been convinced.

"Sable, that's so sweet, but I don't need or want another assistant, especially you. And if you think you can out manipulate or out connive me, Sable, you've got another thing coming."  The women stared each other down, not one of them willing to move.

Therese pushed in between to receive a glare from both.  She put a hand on Stephanie's shoulder and whispered, "Stephanie, have a seat and cool down.  Send her on an errand to Vince.  She won't be back for a while."

The GM shuffled papers in thought and then finally sent the _other _assistant to her father to ask exactly how the armwrestling match was supposed to take place.  Sable wasn't seen from again until the contest and both of the ladies were just about positive how she was spending that time.  Stephanie spent the next two matches, ranting and raving.  Therese tried to block her out and almost told her to 'shut up' several times.  Finally, she came up with a diversionary tactic.  "Let's work out how we're going to do the armwrestling contest.  As always, you can't go alone."  Nothing was going to change but, at least, Stephanie's tirade changed.

When the time came, the two made their way to the ring from the different entrances.  Before Therese stepped out, she caught sight of Hogan and grabbed him by the arm.  "Where's Mark?"

"With Mark," he answered.

"Who?" she asked with a crinkled brow.

"The Undertaker," Hulk slowly answered.

"Oh, gotcha.  The Undertaker's Mark and my Mark's with him.Anyhow, thanks."  With a red face, she slipped through the entrance and followed Stephanie.  Therese stood at the edge of the barricade and chatted with the arena security.  She kept one eye on the ring and the other on the entrance, daring someone to start something.  What was started wasn't exactly what she wanted.  

Stephanie confidently strode to the ring, looking all the part of a General Manager.  She stated her intention for being there-to oversee the armwrestling contest.  The brunette reminded the crowd of the stipulations but, before she could introduce Zach Gowen, Sable's music interrupted.  Stephanie tried to contain her ire.  Sable reached for Stephanie's microphone but the GM jerked it away.

"Sable, um, how nice of you to interrupt.  How can I help you?"  Stephanie held the mic out for her.

"Well, Stephanie, I am-" the blonde started, but Stephanie jerked it away.

"Never mind.  Alright, now before I was so rudely interrupted."  Stephanie introduced Zach, who came to the ring with Mr. America.  To her pleasure, the crowd erupted into cheers, filling the arena with electricity.  The jeers were just as loud as McMahon came out, dressed in track pants and a black tank.

Mr. America immediately started in on Vince, trying to intimidate him.  He reminded the Chairman that Hogan was at home and that this was between him and Mr. America, not him and Zach.  Hogan immediately dropped down to table set up for the contest and invited Vince to take him on.  Stephanie licked her lips and held her breath, waiting to see her father get his butt whooped by Hogan.  "USA!  USA!" broke out and Stephanie gave the crowd a smile to approve of the chant.  McMahon stepped back and told Mr. America that he wasn't afraid of him.  He stated that he signed to armwrestle Gowen and not him and demanded that he leave.  Sable quickly stepped over and whispered in his ear.  Stephanie's heart started to beat a little faster in her chest, worried about Sable was cooking up.  Vince seemed to have a change of mind and agreed to Hogan as his opponent-however, there were stipulations involved.  This was not for Zach's contract and, when Hogan lost, he had to leave the premises.

The two well-built men settled down on the table and locked arms.  Neither seemed to budge as Stephanie intently watched.  When Hogan seemed to gain the upper hand, Sable reached out and grabbed his fist and declared that he was cheating.  Stephanie immediately told her if she touched another contestant again that Mr. America would be declared the winner.  The two locked up again in an intense battle, all eyes on their fists-except for two.  Sable had slipped her dress strap down and Hogan and Gowen glanced back and forth.  As she flashed them and Hogan lost, Stephanie realized what was going on.  After her initial shock, she chewed her bottom lip, thinking about the things she would do that woman when she had the first opportunity.  Hogan was banished from the ring and McMahon ordered the General Manager to go with him.  At first, she thought of refusing but, then, she couldn't do anything to stop him from cheating Gowen out of the contract.  She quickly said a word of encouragement to the teen and beckoned Therese to leave with her.

Vince noticed the wave and turned to see to whom she had motioned.  His eyes narrowed into slits.  "I thought you were fired," the Chairman stated, walking to the turnbuckle and pointing at Therese.  She did a double-take and realized he was talking to her.  She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.  "Security!  Security, escort that woman out."  They didn't move.  The woman he wanted out gave _them_orders and that was not one of them.  "Security!" he yelled again.  

To cover for the situation, Stephanie jerked the microphone from his hand.  "Yes, she is fired, but she's here at my request as a friend."  

Vince glared at the young GM.  "It's still my building and I can still remove who I wish.  Therefore, she goes.  Secur-"

"Wait," Stephanie interrupted.  "She stays because I've got an idea.  Let's have a match with Therese and Sable.  Whoever wins, stays as my assistant.  The other, well, you know what happens there."  She finished with a cocky smile.

Therese's mouth fell open in shock.  Oh, the conversation that would later occur between her and her boss.  Sable's face lit up like the cat that ate the canary.  The poor woman thought that Therese had spent her life as a secretary and that she would easily demolish the other blonde.  Therese wasn't worried about winning.  She was more worried about what this would do for security measures and how bad Sable would end up getting hurt.

McMahon mirrored Sable's grin.  He glanced back at Therese, who was obviously fuming.  He snorted and turned back to Stephanie.  "You're on.  Now, let's get back to this farce.  Get a move on out of here." 

Therese beat Stephanie to the back and met her at the monitor.  She was so mad she was almost shaking.  "What do you mean by-" she angrily bit out until Stephanie interrupted.

"It's the best thing I could think of at the time.  We'll talk later."

"No, we talk now," the blonde demanded.

Stephanie's eyes never moved from the monitor.  "Shut up.  I have more important things on my mind."

"More important." she had to stop to keep from going off.  "Do you understand exactly what-"

"Shut up!  Just shut up!" Stephanie yelled.  Everyone in the hallway turned to stare at them.  The other woman nervously smiled and pointed at the monitor.  They slowly turned back around.  Therese was seething.  She wouldn't be treated like this and now there were no holds barred.

As they looked on, there was only the hopeful wrestler and the Chairman left in the ring.  McMahon taunted him before the two locked fists.   The look of shock on McMahon's face at the boy's strength was priceless, but he started to taunt the younger man through it all until Gowen began to get the upper hand.  Gowen was an inch away from his dream when Vince kicked his prosthetic leg out from under him.  The Chairman once again insulted him and then threw him out of the ring, yelling that he didn't deserve to be in the ring since he was freak.  Zach dejectedly hobbled around the ring and up the ramp.  As the referee raised McMahon's arm in victory, Stephanie's stomach turned and supper almost came back for seconds.  She met the young man as he came through the black curtain and hugged him to her.  No words of comfort came and she promised to work something else out.  What it would be, Stephanie was not sure yet.

The GM left the poor boy with Hogan and stalked towards her office.  She was so pissed over the outcome that she wasn't talking.  Sable losing her job as her personal assistant in two weeks and Therese suffering a little bit of embarrassment was only a pinpoint of light in the middle of the blackness.  She didn't have Therese answer the door for anyone as they settled down to watch the rest of the show.  Therese was still too angry to talk either, especially after Stephanie told her to compete in the match or to find herself another job.  

When the Undertaker had to leave for the evening, Evan was deposited back in the office.  He started to say something but Therese shook her head and put a finger to her mouth.  She was quite proud of him until the main event when the ring collapsed under Brock Lesnar and the Big Show, but she couldn't blame him.  

"Holy Sh*t!" Evan yelled and jumped from lounging in the floor in front of the television.  She and Stephanie both rose to his shout and watched in horrific awe as the ring collapse was played over and over while the wrestlers were being tended to.  Evan started jabbering about how awesome the whole scene was.

"Evan!"

"I don't answer to that, remember?"

Therese folded her arms and stared him down.  "Don't start with me.  You're already in trouble for that cussword you let fly."

"But.but you saw that!  How can you _not _say one?"  Therese shot him what he had deemed the "mean momma look" and he quickly and quietly settled on the couch to wait.

After checking on everyone's condition involved in the collapse, Stephanie announced that it was time to leave.  She gathered up the pile of inter-office mail and began to shove it in her briefcase when she recognized the handwriting on the outside of the envelope.  She was now used to the sight but the overwhelming feelings never changed. Behind Evan's back, she slipped it to Therese and whispered, "I think it's another one.  I don't think I can read it."

Once in the limo, Therese got the chance to open the envelope.  The letter specifically mentioned Stephanie's presence at the funeral last week and her leaving with all of them for lunch.  The main suspect had not been at the church.  "It's not Bischoff," Therese muttered to herself and inwardly sighed, feeling like they were starting over again.

Upon arrival at the hotel, Therese reluctantly sent Evan to Shawn and Kevin to give her time to sort out the letter with Pendleton.  Aaron was just as unhappy as she at the news.  They discussed a few options and agreed to talk again before next Thursday to decide on the next step.  Therese set the cell phone down and Stephanie appeared in the door way.  "Now what?" she asked.  "Are we getting any closer?"

"I think so.  I want us to sit down tomorrow and talk a little."

"That bad, huh?"

"Maybe, maybe not.  We'll talk and-"  

The knock at the door interrupted their conversation.  "Open up, She-Ra!" Evan yelled on the other side.  "Hey, the woman who's going to kick Sable's butt from here to-" 

She jerked it open and quietly scolded, "Do you want the entire hotel to know we're here?"  Then she muttered, "And don't call me 'She-Ra' in public."

"He's just being a kid," Shawn replied in an apologetic tone.  "But I'm not touching that other comment."

"I know," she said with a sigh.  "It's late, honey, just don't yell, okay?"  Evan nodded.  "You guys want to come in?"  The three guys in the hall ambled in and variously dispersed themselves wherever there was room.

Stephanie offered drinks from the hotel minibar.  By the time she was back with them, Evan had curled himself around Therese's pillows and was out like a light.  Therese smiled and softly spoke, "It was a long night.  He has more autographs from tonight than a wrestler gives in a year.  I thought I was going to have to peel him off the Undertaker."

They softly laughed.  "Let's go in my room and let him sleep," Stephanie said and motioned for them to follow her.

Shawn settled into one of the chairs and immediately stated, "You girls had a rough night."  They nodded their agreement.  "Stephanie, you're gonna have to be careful with this whole mess with Gowen."

"It's okay, Shawn," she replied, placing a light hand on his arm.  "I have to put my foot down with my dad.  That is my job that I was hired to do and I'm gonna do it without his interference."

"I just don't want you to get hurt-emotionally _and _physically."  Shawn stared down into her blue eyes and the two seemed to be in their own world.  A snort from the other from Evan broke the atmosphere.

"I've got Therese.  I'll just sic her on anybody that gets in my way," Stephanie said, glancing at her.

"Yeah, thanks," she muttered in return.

"Do you know what you're doing out there?" Kevin asked.

She sat straight up with a serious face and answered, "If you're asking if I can wrestle, then the answer is 'no.'  If you're asking if I can defend myself, then the answer is 'yes.'"

"Well, Shawn and I have been talking, especially since the match with you and Sable was made, that maybe you three," he jerked his head toward the sleeping boy in the other room, "should stay with us at Shawn's house while we're in Texas.  Steph, it'll give you a break from hotels and, Therese, maybe I could help you get ready for your match."

Therese shook her head.  "But we'll be a distraction from you getting ready for Bad Blood this Sunday.  Kevin, that's an important match."

"I got past the mental part of it all the last pay-per-view.  Now, it's just physical.  Besides, She-Ra, I think you would be a great distraction," he commented with a sly smile and patted her on the knee.

"Until you know the story behind it, don't call me that."

"And when are you gonna tell us that?" Shawn said, staring at her and dropping his head until it was eye-level with where she had lounged back down across the bed.

"Never," she replied with a glare.

"So, which one of us is He-Man?" Shawn asked with a twinkle in his eye and flexed his arms.

"No, I think you're Cringer," Therese shot back and they all broke out in laughter-except for Shawn.

"There's not any more women in the cartoon for me to be," Stephanie mockingly whined.

"First, there's Evilynn," she answered with a devious smile.  "But then there's Tee-La.  She's in love with He-Man, you know."

Stephanie blushed and then retorted, "You know too much about that show."

"Well, when you grew up with it and that one in there watches the new one, you just about can't help it."

"What was your favorite cartoon?" Stephanie asked Shawn.  The night wore on as the two couples laughed and fondly reminisced about their childhood cartoons.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC.

Author's Notes:  Obviously, the match with Therese and Sable never existed but I couldn't resist setting one up.  Sorry if I bother anyone for departing that far from the television storyline.


	17. The Actresses of Wrestling: Jamie Lee a...

Author's Notes:  Sorry this has taken so long!  In three weeks, I had two tests to take, two papers to write, a fat-honking history book to read, the stomach flu to get over, and FF.net to finally let me in!!  ARGGHHH!

**_Chapter XVII:  The Actresses of Wrestling:  Jamie Lee and Julia_**

Stephanie would have preferred to stay in bed all Friday morning but she wanted to be on the phone first thing to change flight plans.  She was so excited to be staying at Shawn's house, even if her worst friend, and "baggage," would be there.  Actually, she was starting to like Evan, and, if circumstances were different, she thought he would make a great little brother to have around all the time.  Cradling a mug of coffee, the brunette finalized the flights to correspond with Shawn and Kevin's.  She closed the cellphone and set it down as Therese knocked on the door and stumbled through, her hair sticking out in a thousand directions and her robe hanging open to reveal her usual PJ's.  

"Who are you talking to this early in the morning?" the blonde yawned.

"I wanted to be sure we all had seats to San Antonio."

"But we're not leaving until Tuesday."

"Shawn invited us to stay with him and it would be rude to turn him down," Stephanie responded with a shrug.

"I never agreed to that," Therese said, sitting down on the other woman's bed.

"Well, I guess you just did because I just changed our tickets."

"Change them back!" Therese exclaimed, her eyes finally widening beyond the usual morning sleep.

"Not with how much it costs every time you change them."

"Then I'll pay for it!"

"Let's talk through this rationally," Stephanie replied, holding her hands out in a calming manner.

"Are you saying I'm not being rational?" Therese asked, her voice still a pitch higher.

"Listen to the tone of your voice."

"Alright, you've got five minutes to convince me why we should stay with Shawn for the next week," she said, crossing her arms.

Stephanie talked non-stop without taking a breath to persuade Therese.  Halfway through, the blonde already decided to not argue about it.  In all reality, Stephanie was her boss and what she demanded went.  Whatever Stephanie did, it was Therese's job to make sure that she was safe doing so.  Therese wasn't about to remind her of that.  Stephanie had a lot of making up to do about the match she had put her in with Sable.

Therese sighed and stood up.  "When do we leave?"

"I got us on this afternoon's flight," Stephanie answered with a smug look.

"Really?"

"It was either that or wait for two more days."

"I'll tell the guys when they get up, which won't be for, oh," Therese glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand, "a couple more hours, which is good because we need to talk."  Stephanie patted the extra chair at the table and Therese settled down.  "I need you to make me a list of everyone you remember being at the funeral."

"Why?" she asked, her voice verging on hysterics.

"You don't really want to know," the agent responded, shaking her head.

"I think I need to this time."

"Quite possibly, the stalker was there.  I also need you to ask Shane to get his hands on a copy of the guest registry because he might have signed the book.  We'll compare the two lists and maybe we'll have this narrowed down further."

Stephanie's spirits were dampened by the news, but she nodded her head.  "I'll call Shane now.  I'll even ask him to make a list of who he remembers."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie and Therese ended up sitting together on the plane while Evan was banished to the rear by the airline and Shawn and Kevin enjoyed bulkhead.  It was a prime opportunity to discuss some of the problems that this situation would pose.  However, Therese was more worried about what a second week with Kevin Nash was going to do to her resolve to not get heavily involved with him.

The GM had a limo waiting for them but Shawn's home was not far from the airport.  Therese took in every detail, forming security strategies and emergency plans in her head.  The two-story, spacious house sat on over ten acres of land and couldn't be seen from the road.  Stephanie was impressed with the place since it wasn't much smaller than her own.  Dropping all their luggage in the foyer, Shawn gave them the grand tour of four bedrooms, three baths and the office, den, dining room, kitchen, weight room, and—

"A pool!" Evan shouted and dashed out through the patio doors.  He was too far gone before Therese could grab him.

"That boy should have been a fish," she muttered to herself.

Shawn stuck his head out of the glass doors and yelled at him to be careful and not fall in.  "I'm sure you gals would like to freshen up before we find dinner," he said, heading back to the foyer and picking up luggage.  Kevin followed suit and the ladies trailed behind them up the stairs.  "I'm willing to give up my room—the master bedroom," he said grandly, turning around to look at them, "to whichever of you lovely ladies want it."

Stephanie purred, "Oh, Shawn, thank you."

"I don't think so," Therese said and dropped her carry-on bag.  She drew her fists up at Stephanie.  "Bring it on."

The brunette's eyes grew wide and she slowly backed up.  "I, uh, whoa, um, now, Therese."

Therese straightened back with a smile, dropping her fists.  "That's okay.  I don't want it anyhow."

"You—" Stephanie started but couldn't find the appropriate curse.  Shawn thought about watching the two of them argue over it but continued on to the bedroom with Stephanie stomping behind.

"You're a bad person, you know that?" Kevin said with a smile.

"Yeah, isn't it beautiful?  She's going to think twice about putting me in a match again," Therese replied, returning his smile.

Kevin laughed lightly.  "I'm staying in the one by Shawn's room.  Where do you want me to put your luggage?"

"Let's think about the logistics of this.  Four bedrooms, five people.  I'll just take the fold-out couch in the living room."

"No, no," Shawn said, coming back into the hall.  "I'm going to do that."

"But, you can't.  You need a decent bed.  I'll take it or Mark can," she protested.

"Mark can do what?" Evan said, bounding up the steps.

"Sleep on the couch or in one of the guest rooms," his sister answered.

"Do the guest rooms have a TV?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Shawn answered.

"Then I'll take the couch."

"We'll put his luggage in my room.  So, I guess, I'll take that room," Therese said, pointing at the one beside Stephanie's and across from Kevin's.

"Shawn, can I go swimming?" the dark-haired boy asked.

"Honey, it's late.  I don't think—" Therese started.

"Are you Shawn?" he said with a sly smile and turned back to Michaels.

"I think you need to listen to her.  Okay, buddy?"

"Yeah," he muttered and went to retrieve his suitcase.

By the time the ladies had freshened up and changed, Shawn and Kevin had steaks sizzling in the kitchen.  Stephanie pulled a stool up to the bar, folded her hands beneath her chin, and casually watched.  Therese dove in and began helping with the salad.

"How are we going to work out this next week?" Stephanie said, twirling a dishtowel.

"Houston's about three and a half hours away.  So, we should leave sometime early afternoon.  I haven't figured out RAW yet," Shawn stated.

Therese glanced at Stephanie.  "I don't know if it's a good idea for us to go to Houston."

"We'll sneak you in.  Don't worry about it," Kevin added.

"And RAW too?" the blonde woman asked.

"Why not?" Nash asked.

"You're not getting into SmackDown! no matter how many RAW events you sneak us into," she replied.

"Since it's here, I guess we'll get over it," Shawn responded as he prodded the meat.

"So, what _are _we doing about RAW?" Stephanie asked, brining them back on track.

"We either stay in Houston over night and drive to Dallas and save four hours or we just come back here and then drive the four and half hours to Dallas and not have to worry about luggage and hotel reservations," Michaels explained.

"That's a tough one," Stephanie said.  "What were you planning on doing before we were coming?'

"Staying in a hotel," Kevin answered as he peeled a tomato.

"I guess that's what we'll do.  Problem solved," Stephanie replied, tossing the dishtowel aside.

"Where did Mark go?" Therese asked, suddenly realizing he was nowhere in sight or within earshot.

"Playing video games in the den," Kevin answered.

"Oh," she said softly, "well, I guess it's better he stay occupied doing that.  The pool is the one thing you don't need to have around him.  Not to bring up going to Houston and Dallas again, but are you sure it's okay that he go?  Stephanie and me are gonna be enough trouble being there."

"Mark'll be easier than the two of y'all to get in.  Nobody there knows him, but they sure know y'all," Shawn answered.

"I just feel so bad about you putting us up in your house and taking us to the pay-per-view and RAW."

"No trouble at all.  It's really given us a break from the monotony.  _Quit _worrying.  I don't want to hear anymore about it," Shawn replied, stepping away from the stove to give her a stern look.

"Yes, sir," she sarcastically replied with a mock salute.

After dinner, Stephanie offered to clean up, much to Therese's surprise.  She also offered, thinking it beneath the guys to do so with women in the house and them having cooked most of the meal.  Before Therese could pick up a dish, Shawn pushed her out of the kitchen.  "It's late.  I know where everything goes.  Go, get Mark in bed."  

Therese obliged and disappeared with Kevin following shortly on her heels.  They said little as they rinsed dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher and replaced all the condiments.  The other three in the living room discussing something about the Internet but neither was truly listening.  "We're almost alone," Stephanie whispered and propped her elbows up on the bar.

"I don't think they can hear us," Shawn replied with a smile and leaned against the island, throwing a dishtowel over his shoulder.  He was itching to kiss her, so bad that he almost couldn't stand it.  Since their "in-hotel" date, they hadn't had a chance to be alone.  Maybe that was why he felt such a strong urge to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless.  "I'm really glad you decided to stay here this week."

"Really?" she replied, drawing him in.

"Yeah.  It's great all of you are here.  Mark's a lot of fun and...Therese and Kevin are together," he said, raising his eyebrows several times.  

Stephanie quietly laughed.  "And me and you—"

"Hey, guys," Therese said, appearing in the doorway.  "Mark's settled and I preface that with he's on the couch in his PJ's with the remote control in his hand.  He won't be any trouble.  We're going to bed—I mean, I'm going to bed and he's coming too—Wait, no, you know what I mean."  

She and Kevin walked on by and then Shawn called out.  "Therese, there's not a lock on your bedroom door.  You might want to bar it with the dresser."  

She quickly reappeared in the door way.  "What?"

"I'm just kidding.  You're so easy," Shawn laughed.

"Thank you, but I do have some scruples," she replied, furrowing her brow.

"No, I mean that it's easy to tease you."

"I'm kidding too.  You're just as easy."  Therese evilly grinned and disappeared.

Stephanie giggled and Shawn turned back to her.  "You think I'm easy too, huh?"

"I'm just a sexy boy," Stephanie sang, coming from around the bar and dancing.  "I'm not your boy toy."  She gyrated a couple of times and dropped into his pose.  When he didn't smile or laugh, she quickly stood back up.  "I'm sorry, did I—"

Shawn pulled her into his arms, then smiled.  "You're easy too."

His lips were moving but she didn't hear the words.  He watched her eyes drop to his mouth and was thinking the exact thing she was.  "Hmm…" she replied and licked her lips.  Shawn couldn't stand it anymore and descended on her mouth.  She returned the kiss as fervently, teasing his tongue with hers and eliciting a low groan from him.  She leaned in closer and pulled the band from his ponytail.  Her fingers ran through his hair as his hands ran up and down her back.  They finally pulled away breathless.

"Wow," she whispered.  "At least now I know it wasn't the wine talking last time."

"Mmm…" he replied and nibbled at her bottom lip before softly kissing her.  "I think…we better…stop," he said, punctuating each word with a kiss.

"Why?" she heavily breathed.

"Because we might end up in a compromising situation in the kitchen."

"Who cares," she said, pulling him back down and running her tongue across his bottom lip.  He quickly devoured her mouth again, letting one hand drift down to cup her butt.  She slightly moaned and the kiss grew more fiery.  Her hands trailed over his chest and then back into his long curls.  When air was needed, they pulled apart again.

"That compromising situation might involve us being naked."

Her mouth made a small 'o' and her hands dropped to his arms.  "It'll be difficult but alright."

He dropped a kiss on her nose.  "Go to bed, princess.  I'll see you in the morning unless you need me for something."

"Goodnight," she sighed and headed out of the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Therese stopped before her bedroom door and glanced up at Kevin to tell him 'goodnight' but he spoke first.  "So, _are _we dating?"

"According to the Internet, yeah," she said with a laugh, thinking about what Evan had just shown them.  One of the wrestling news websites had posted the rumor of them dating, citing them being at the Anaheim/New Jersey game and holding hands after the funeral.  The website was thorough about her—hailing from Atlanta, '95 graduate of Boston, etc.—and she was relieved that her cover was good enough to fool the websites.

"And what is the answer according to _you_?"

She sighed.  "Call it dating if you like, but I don't how much dating we can do when I'm so busy and we travel with the different brands.  I'm on one side of the country and you're on the other."

"But we both live in Atlanta and there's the times the brands cross," he said, propping up against the wall.

"We are both rarely at home together and we're just lucky right now that we're in Texas together," she replied, leaning against the threshold of her door.

"So, you don't want to date me?"

"Oh, that is far from the truth," she replied before she'd realized it had come out of her mouth.

"Same here," he huskily responded and closed the distance between them.  _Oh, what the hell, _she thought and wrapped her arms around his neck anyway as he stared into her eyes.  She held her breath, just waiting for him to kiss her.  He ran his hands around her waist and then raised one to cup the back of her head.  Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips softly took in hers.  "Goodnight," he whispered against her mouth and let her go after another soft, but quick, kiss.  "If you need anything," he said, wiggling his eyebrows, "you know exactly where I'm at."  She laughed and disappeared into the bedroom.  Her knees almost gave out and she flopped down on the bed with a sigh.  _So, **are** we dating?_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 "Guys, are you not ready to quit?" Stephanie slightly whined as she paced the ringside again for the hundredth time at Shawn's training facility.  "Mark's hungry."

"Don't use him," Therese whispered in her ear.

Evan tugged Therese's shirt and she turned to find him there when seconds ago he had been acting tough on one of the weight machines.  "I was embarrassed to say something, so Steph promised she would say something for me."

"_Steph_?" Therese echoed Evan.

"Yeah, that woman right there," her little brother said, pointing at the other woman.

"When did you start calling her that?"

"When she said I could."  Therese just rolled her eyes and Evan mocked her by rolling his.

An extremely sweaty Shawn rolled out of the ring and tried to hug Stephanie.  "Eww," she squealed and dashed away but Shawn pursued her.

"I'll save you," Evan yelled and took off after them, finally catching up and jumping on Shawn's back.

Kevin came up behind Therese as she watched and dropped a kiss on her neck.  With a shiver, she turned around and held up her hands.  "You don't plan on doing that too, do you?  We can act like civilized adults, right?"

"I guess," he replied with downcast eyes.  "When are we gonna get in the ring?"

"Not now, that's for sure.  Please tell me you're showering here."

"It's so hard being around women," he said with a sigh and walked off to the showers.

Evan and Stephanie had Shawn done on the floor, mercilessly tickling him.  Therese bodily picked him up and dragged him away.  "I thought you were hungry," she grunted out.

"Oh, yeah," he said.  "Let's go, HBK."  Shawn laughed and followed in Nash's footsteps.

The party headed off for dinner and ended up with a movie for the evening.  Before they all knew it, the night was over.  Kisses were stolen and 'goodnights' were said.  For the second time in a row, Stephanie and Therese slept well into the morning.  Maybe it was being in actual beds instead of a hotel's or all the exhaustion and excitement caught up with them.  Any way it went, the guys were up earlier and teased them to no end.

There wasn't much time to waste and they had to be off in time to reach Houston for the pay-per-view.  The guys went ahead to the arena and the ladies stopped to retrieve supper as part of their way of "sneaking in."  They had dressed in jeans and t-shirts, pulling their hair back in ponytails and wearing baseball caps.  Stephanie hated it but understood that she would be less recognized in sneakers versus heels.  She slipped on a pair of sunglasses and gathered up food while Therese followed suit but with a pair of fashion glasses without any grade that they had found at a gas station.  They waited for a distraction at the gate but a security guard saw them out of the corner of his eye and stopped them.

"This is a delivery for Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash," Therese stated and started to walk by.

"I don't think so," the man replied and put a hand out.

"Then let me sign in for it and we'll take it to them."

"What if it isn't wanted?  I've seen all the ploys you women go through to get to these guys.  I'll take it to them."  He reached for the bags and she pulled away.

"How about you call them and see what they think?  I have Mr. Michaels number right here.  Here, here's my cell phone," Therese responded, sticking her butt out at him where the phone was in her back pocket.

The security guard declined and stepped away, his eyes still burning holes in them.  He pulled out his walkie-talkie and mumbled where they couldn't hear him.  Stephanie leaned close to Therese and asked, "This isn't going like we planned.  Are you sure we can pull this off?"

"We're fine.  I still have some things up I'm sleeve.  Remember, I work security," she answered and shushed her as the guard came back.

"Mr. Michaels is coming to get it."

"Therese," Stephanie agitatedly whispered.

"Don't worry," she replied and set the food down on a crate, indicating Stephanie should do the same.  The guard never moved and continued to eye them in an unapproving manner.  Shawn shortly showed up and asked them to help him carry the bags back.  The security guard nervously agreed but made them sign in.  Therese quickly scribbled out two fake names.

Finally in the private dressing, Stephanie let out a nervous laugh.  "We made it."

"Now, the key is to stay here.  Just in case, guys, I signed Stephanie in as 'Julia Curtis' and myself as 'Jamie Lee Roberts.'  It's the first names that came to mind," she replied with a shrug as they rolled their eyes at the choices.

Since Evan not been able to attend a RAW event yet, Shawn and Kevin took him around to meet everyone.  Therese protested, reminding Kevin of his Hell in a Cell match.  His reply was that he could use the socializing to relax.  Once they were outside the door, Stephanie insisted that she wanted to look at the card.

"Why can't you have the guys do it for you?" Therese protested.

"Maybe I want to 'accidentally' run into Bischoff," Stephanie matter-of-factly replied.

"I thought that was why we were 'sneaking' into the arena."

"Nobody will see us but Bischoff.  Just to his office."

Therese sighed.  "There and back.  That's it."

Stephanie and Therese edged through the halls, still clad in their caps and glasses.  "There's Mae Young," Stephanie gasped and plastered herself to the wall.  "When Austin's out of the way, I've got to find out why she's here."  Therese kept peaking around the corner until Stone Cold ended his conversation with the original diva of wrestling and she gave Stephanie the all-clear.

"Pssst," she whispered and beckoned Mae Young to her.

"Stephanie!" Mae called and held her arms out for a hug.

"Shhh!  I'm not supposed to be here," she replied and embraced the elderly woman.

"Then what are you doing here?  Is it that HBK character?  He's a handsome catch," the other woman said with a wink.

"Mae," Stephanie chided.  "We're here because Therese wants to see Kevin wrestle."

"Oh, yes, dear," Mae turned to Therese.  "If I was only younger, I might make a go at him myself."  Therese blushed.  "Do me a favor, sweetie.  Wipe the mat with Sable next week."

"I will do my best," she responded, honored that this first lady of wrestling would even know about her.

"What were you and Steve Austin talking about?" Stephanie asked.

"You know that _pie_-eating contest that he's got Bischoff into.  I'm the pie," Mae answered with a laugh.  "I'm gonna give him a bronco buster and watch him blush."

"A bronco buster, huh?"  Mae nodded.  "I have an idea.  Find the most disgusting thing you can and put in the front of your, um, what are you wearing?"

"Black lingerie," she evilly grinned.

"Send someone after anchovies or something.  There's a grocery store two blocks away."

"Anchovies?  My dear, there is a reason you are the general manager of SmackDown!  Brilliant."  Mae patted her on the cheek.  "Don't pass up your chance with that handsome devil.  I have work to do.  Enjoy the show."  With that, possibly the greatest woman of wrestling disappeared down the hall to hatch Stephanie's plan.

The two ladies began their return to the dressing room.  Therese held the door open for Stephanie and started to step in when another security guard stopped her.  With a nod to Stephanie, she let the door fall shut before the GM was noticed.  "Ma'am, I don't see any identification on you.  I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…


	18. Bombs Away!

**_Chapter XVIII:  Bombs Away!_**

"I'm sorry, but I'm supposed to be here," Therese coolly responded to the security guard's question.

"You are obviously not one of the superstars and you don't have a staff ID.  Therefore, you don't belong," he firmly replied.

"Yeah, she does.  She's my sister," a male voice behind the security guard said.  Not knowing to whom the voice belonged, Therese looked up to see Test coming their way.

"That true?" the man asked.

"Sure," she replied and jerked her arm away from his.

He stepped away and glanced back and forth between the two, trying to see the resemblance.  Giving up, he commanded, "Next time your sister comes, she needs a visitor ID.  You might want to get one for her _now._"

"Thank you.  We'll do that," she responded.

When the guard was gone, Therese thanked Test and put her hand on the doorknob.  She wanted as little to do with him as possible, knowing his abuse of his former girlfriend.  "So, tell me, _sis_, what do you think about incest?" he casually asked, running his hand through his spiky blonde hair and closing most of the distance between them.  

"No, thank you," she replied and started to turn the knob.

He put his hand on hers to stop her and stepped in close.  "I know you know who I am but I don't know your name."

"Does it matter?" she flatly replied.

"Guess not, just as long as you go out with me," he said, putting his other hand on the other side of her.

"How about not?  How about you just _go _away and leave me alone," she said, straightening up to his hunched over height in an attempt to defy him. 

"Come on, now," he replied and lightly took the glasses from her face.

"I don't want you to get hurt.  Please go away." 

"And who do you think you are that I would get hurt?" he replied, his breath hot on her face.

"Try Kevin Nash's girlfriend," she stated, hoping it would get him to leave.

"Oh, honey, he doesn't need to know," he responded as Kevin walked up behind him.

"If she's my girlfriend, I need to know."  Test quickly jerked around, wide-eyed, and Therese pulled the glasses from his hand.

"She was coming on to me," he said, crossing his arms.

"Not from what I heard," Kevin replied, looming over him.  "If I ever catch you near her again, I will tear you from limb to limb."

"No slut's worth this," Test said and turned to go.  Kevin reached out and slapped him, sending him flying into the wall.  He gripped Test by the throat and held him there against the large, white blocks.

"Don't—call—her—that," Kevin ground out through clenched teeth.

"If I didn't have a match tonight, I would kick your ass right here and now," Test strangled out.

"Doesn't look like you're in a position to do so," Nash stated, his nostrils flaring.

"Kevin, just let him go.  He's not worth it," Therese said, putting a hand on his arm.  Kevin shoved Test away and they watched him stumble down the hall.

"You okay?" Kevin asked, putting his hands on either side of her face and caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle.  I was about to let him have it when you walked up," she answered with a smile.

"Still, there's no point in treating a woman like that."

"Let it go," she replied, placing her hands over his, and nodded to door.  "Stephanie's probably wondering where I'm at."

Kevin put an arm around her and led her in.  He disappeared into the bathroom to start getting ready.  He later came back, suited up in his leather pants, and, of course, Therese took a long peek.  Enjoying the eyecandy, she was startled when the door burst open.  Evan stumbled into the room and slammed the metal door shut.  He was breathing heavily but had a huge grin on his face.  Therese immediately stood up and demanded, "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he immediately stated through hitched breath.

"I know you.  What's going on?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, 'Rese, I promise.  It was nothing I wasn't told I couldn't do," he pleaded with innocent eyes.

"Don't try to confuse me.  Who said you could do what?" she queried.  Stephanie was now paying attention, waiting for the answer that she was almost sure she already knew.

"Well…" Evan started and the door burst open again.  As if on cue, Shawn presented the same goofy grin the boy had had on his face.  They burst out into laughter and high-fived each other.

"What took you so long?" Evan asked.

"I didn't think the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels needed to be running through the halls of the arena like a heathen."

"Did you get to see their faces?"

"No, but I did hear a few choice words that I don't think your mom would like for you to have heard."

"It was good, wasn't it?" Evan asked, his eyes still lit up.

By now, everyone else in the room had gathered around the two.  Stephanie couldn't resist.  "Shawn, what did you _do_?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, digging his toe in the carpet like a little kid.  "Mark found some old fireworks in the poolhouse that I had forgotten about and, well, we hatched a plan.  There were a couple of stinkbombs and…"

"You didn't?" Therese muttered.

"Oh, we did," Evan bluntly stated.

"You threw stinkbombs in Evolution's dressing room?" Stephanie asked with wide eyes.

"Oh, yes," they both replied in unison.

"How?" Stephanie asked, dumbfounded.

"Very carefully," Shawn drew out.  Kevin gave Evan a knowing wink and went back to the corner to lace up his boots.  Therese would have hung Evan out to dry if he had done that on his own initiative but, with Shawn and Kevin backing him on it, she knew it wasn't fair to her brother.  Shawn leaned over to her and whispered, "It was all my fault.  Please don't tell his mom.  I've heard the things _you've_ done before."  

She nodded and smiled in response.  "We'll pretend it never happened."

"Yeah, but Evolution will remember it all," Shawn replied with a laugh before going off to suit up for his match.  

The two wrestlers' matches were sixth and seventh of the night.  Shawn was first to leave to face Ric Flair.  When no one was looking, Stephanie quickly pecked him on the cheek to wish him luck.  They shyly smiled at each other as he left to a chorus of 'good luck' wishes.  Stephanie always loved to watch him wrestle, even when he was not on her favorites list.  Since the injury, she was now more worried about whether or not he realized how far he could go.  

As the match started, Kevin pulled the elbow brace in place and called Therese aside.  "So, do I get a kiss from my girlfriend before I go to the slaughter?"

"Girlfriend?"

"That's what you told Test."

"That was because—"  He cut her off with a hand around the back of her neck, pulling her to him for a dizzying kiss.  "Well," she said with a sigh.

"I'll be back shortly with his head on a platter."

"I know you know to be careful, but Hell in a Cell is…you know.  Just be careful."

Stephanie and Evan cheering at the monitor brought the two of them back.  Kevin nodded and Therese shut the door behind him before gathering with the others to watch Shawn's match.  They held their breath as the wrestlers crashed through the table.  Stephanie yelled at the monitor as Randy Orton wielded the steel chair and Michaels went down.  Evan tried to comfort her by mentioning that Shawn had gone down numerous times from chair shots.  She gave him a nervous smiled and began pacing.  Why she was worried, she didn't know.  Evan was right, especially since Shawn walked out of his own accord.  She almost rushed out to him but then realized the consequences of running through a RAW event screaming, "I'm Stephanie McMahon and I'm not supposed to be here."

"Stephanie, he'll be here soon.  Don't worry," Therese said, her eyes transfixed on the steel cage coming down over the ring.  

Stephanie sighed and sat back down to wait.  Only she was aware when Shawn returned to the room while Evan and Therese stared at the brutality of the match.  When they finally noticed, both rushed over to him but he shooed them all away so he could take a shower and make good on a promise for a massage from Stephanie.  He was out in time to see the last of the match in which Kevin took a sledgehammer to the back from Triple H.  

"We have to go check on him," Therese suddenly said, standing up.

"Just hang on," Shawn stated.  "The trainers will get him out of the ring and in the back and then they'll check him out.  We'll just be in the way."

Now, it was Therese's turn to pace.  Shawn gathered up his things and began pulling Kevin's together.  She noticed and told Evan to get ready to leave.  When all were ready, Shawn led them through the halls to where the trainers were set up.  

Kevin was the only one laid out, face down, on a table.  A lady was rubbing his back while one of the guys was sitting on chair talking to him.  Through hazy eyes, Kevin noticed them and tried to roll over.  He grunted in pain and the trainer helped him over.

"How are you, buddy?" Shawn asked, looking down at him.

"In a lot of pain," he muttered.  "Or was.  The shots they gave me are starting to kick in.  I don't wanna even think about tomorrow."

"Kev, I don't think you're gonna be _wrestling_ tomorrow."

"I don't either," he groaned in reply.

Shawn pulled up a chair and sat beside him.  "Question is, do you want to go home tonight or in the morning?"

"I wanna be there now."

Shawn sighed in thought and looked at his watch.  "Therese, you could have him home shortly before two.  You wanna take him?"

She had been plotting in her mind how this could work out, but nothing was coming.  Not even thinking, she said, "Yes.  But I take the Suburban so he can stretch out in the back."

"We'll take the truck," Kevin mumbled.  "I'm too tall.  They need the Suburban."

"Can you leave now?" Shawn asked.

"Whenever he's ready," the trainer replied.

"Kevin, give me a couple of minutes and I'll have you out of here.  Okay?" Therese asked and he nodded with a wrinkled forehead.

"We've got two rooms reserved, so Mark can stay with us," Shawn stated before she even thought of what to do with her brother.

Therese acknowledged him with a nod and pulled Stephanie aside.  "I can't do this.  I don't know why I agreed.  Help me figure out what we're, me and you, are gonna do."

"_I'm_ going back to the hotel with Shawn and Evan.  _You _are going back to Shawn's house with Kevin."

"Stephanie, I can't just leave you without me but I just can't let him suffer through two nights in a hotel room."

"Then you have your answer.  Take Kevin back with you."

"You come back with me."

"No."

"Yes."

"Look, this conversation is not going to be solved this way," Stephanie stated.  "I will take full responsibility for myself if something happens."

"If I'm fired over this, you owe me a job," Therese angrily stated, pointing a finger at her.

"Okay," she said lightly.  The blonde stared at her for a moment, taken aback at her answer.  "Well, let's get outta here.  We're waiting on you."

It wasn't long before luggage was rearranged in the vehicles and a half-conscious Kevin was hoisted into the over-sized truck.  Therese admonished Evan to stay out of trouble but keep his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.  He puffed his chest out and stated that he would take care of Stephanie and protect her.  She warned him to immediately get Shawn instead of trying to be heroic.  The air rushed out of his lungs as he agreed.

Therese drove non-stop with a lead foot back to San Antonio.  Kevin wasn't much of a conversationalist and the radio went in and out of stations as she broke speed limits, so she was left to deal with her thoughts.  She chided herself for leaving Stephanie and for letting herself care this much about Nash.  The damage was done and she kept telling herself there was nothing she could do to change it but just get him home and take care of him.

Her back popped as she slid out of the driver's seat and she stretched her aching muscles before attempting to get Kevin out of the vehicle.  He barely woke up enough to realize he was back.  She slung one of his arms around her shoulders and almost bowed under his weight as they struggled into the house together.  She left him on his bed and checked the bathrooms for the largest tub.  The master bath held a massive one that she was sure had seen several trysts.  Pushing aside Stephanie's toiletries, she ran a steaming bath.  Before she was done arranging the needed things, Kevin showed up in the doorway.  "Who're you sharing that with?"

"Nobody, it's yours since you smell pretty bad.  Can you imagine what I went through in the truck having to smell you?" she asked with a wrinkled nose.

"If you think I smell, you should have got a whiff of Triple H after that stinkbomb," he said with a groan and lumbered over to the tub to sit on the edge

"I was just kidding.  Now, get in."

"I just wanted to know if you would bring me up a glass of water," he said, apologetically.  "You didn't have to run me a—"

"Get in."  He tugged at the shirt but couldn't get it up over his arms.  After another try, he asked for some help.  She pulled it over his head and started to leave with it.  After a loud groan, she turned around to find him clutching his back with one hand and the other holding an untied shoelace.  "Let me," she muttered and knelt down to divest him of his shoes and socks.

He pulled his belt out as she tossed aside the last sock.  "Do you mind helping me with the rest?"  Her face turned a bright red but she nodded her answer.  "You don't have to if you don't want to," he said with a pouty lip.  She shook her head and tugged him up from his seat on the tub to peel off the rest of his clothes.  She tired to avoid looking directly at him but it seemed everything she did brought her face to face with some naked part.  She was ashamed for being turned on when all he wanted was to get undressed so he could soak in a hot bath.

He let out a moan of pleasure as he slipped into the tub and the pink tinge crept back into her cheeks.  She handed him a bar of soap and washcloth before setting out to find a heating pad and painkillers.  She left them beside his bed with a glass of water before returning.  "How's it going?" she asked, her eyes focused on his face.

"I can't get my back or my hair," he muttered.  She attempted to settle herself around the tub but nothing would give her access to helping him.

"I'll be back in a minute," she stated before leaving to return in a pair of shorts.  She slipped her legs in on either side of him and situated herself on the edge of the tub.

"See, you are sharing the bath with someone."  She grunted a response and continued to scrub, carefully avoiding the angry bruise already rising.  "Right there.  Harder," he muttered as she found a spot on his lower back.  "Don't stop," he groaned as she continued to massage his flesh with the washcloth.

_Isn't that what a woman's supposed to be saying when…when…_ She had to draw herself back to the task at hand.  "I have to.  My arm's getting tired.  Slide up and then lean back.  I'll support your neck and dunk your head."  It was one of the most awkward things she had done as she tried to rinse the shampoo out.  Once they were finally done, he leaned his head back into her lap, soaking her shorts with his wet hair.  She said nothing as he picked up one of her now wrinkly feet and began to massage it.  It was now her turn to groan in pleasure.  "Where did you learn to do that?" she said, breathless.

"I can do that with the rest of your body too."

"If you hadn't taken a hit with a sledgehammer, I might have taken you up on the promise.  Raincheck?" she asked and began tracing her fingers around his tired eyes.

"Yeah, but you have to stop before I fall asleep."  She agreed and slipped out of the tub to help him out.  Water dripped off of him onto her as she supported him and handed over an oversize towel.  "Sorry 'bout that," he mumbled when he noticed she was almost soaked.

"Don't worry and don't move."  She left him alone long enough to change and bring him a shirt and boxers to sleep in.  He hobbled on back to his bedroom with her help and she settled him with the already warm heating pad under him.  "You know where I am.  Please call me if you need me.  I'll be back in a little while to turn off the heating pad.  Go to sleep."  She tucked away an errant lock of his hair and turned to go.

"Can I have a kiss from my girlfriend?"

"You're not gonna let me live that down, huh?" she said, turning back around.

"I'll think about it after a kiss."  She leaned down across the bed and barely brushed her lips across his, causing him to shiver from the sensuous touch.

"Goodnight.  Sleep well."  She slipped into her own bed, her eyes so tired that she was amazed she was still revved up from helping Kevin, the image of his naked body emblazoned in her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stephanie smiled as she handed Evan her bag as he adamantly insisted on carrying it up to her room for her.  Shawn promised that he would come see her after he saw Therese's little brother settled.  She thanked Evan when he carefully placed her luggage on the bed and ran out the door with a deep blush.  She hurriedly showered and dabbed perfume in all the right places.  Just as she finished a light application of make-up, a knock sounded at the door.  After checking the peephole, she pulled the door open to Shawn, who was still in a pair of black, butt-hugging jeans.

"It's too early to go to bed but too late to go out.  So what do we do?" Stephanie asked, leading him into the room.

"I don't know.  Anything good on TV?"  She shrugged her shoulders and flipped on the television.  After searching the channels, they gave up and started talking.  "Did you see the look of Flair's face when I asked him why he smelled like a rotten egg?"

"That's what _that _face was for.  I was wondering," she laughed.  "I really can't believe you guys did that."

"Yeah, I think it's already around the lockerroom that we did it."

"Who do they think is 'we'?" Stephanie asked, worried that she would be connected to Evan being there.

"Now Mark is my nephew," he said with a snort of laughter.  _Poor boy, _Stephanie thought, _How__ many identities does he have now?_  "Speaking of Mark, did you see how worried Therese was over Kevin?  I think we might have pulled it off," Shawn said with a smile.

"How good are we?" she asked, giving him a high-five.

"We are good together," he replied, much softer.

"I think so," she sensuously replied.  She slid closer to him and leaned in for a kiss. He obliged and pulled her close, drinking in the fresh shower smell and the tantalizing sweetness of lavender.

Stephanie sucked in her breath as Shawn lightly brushed her lips with his.  He cupped her cheek with his hand and stroked her hairline with his thumb.  She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and drew it between her teeth to suck on it, which elicited a soft groan from him.  He ran his other hand through her hair as she placed a feather light kiss on his lips and began tracing a line of tiny ones along his jaw.  She traced the outline of his ear with the velvety tip of her tongue before gently nibbling it.  Shivers coursed throughout his body and his breathing became labored.  

Shawn couldn't stand this slow torture and pulled away from her.  Her blue eyes were misty with desire and only served to heighten his.  He forcefully drew her to him and devoured her mouth.  She moaned deep in her throat and tangled her fingers in his hair.  He trailed hot, wet kisses down her throat to the neckline of her robe.  She quickly undid the tie and he helped push the silken material away from her shoulders to reveal deep purple lingerie.  The thought flitted through his mind that Stephanie was planning for this, but he sighed, taking in the exposed skin.  

She was beyond the blushing maiden and her fingers found the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.  Every fiber of her being screamed in want of him.  She ran her fingers through the blonde hair covering his chest and then drew her eyes up to his face.  He opened his to reveal clouded, hazel ones that raked over her body.  She was perfect to his eyes, not a slip of a thing but beautiful curves everywhere.  _So what if there's a little bit of plastic under there_, he thought, _I would want her either way._

They came back together in a sense of urgency, placing hot kisses over the skin revealed as each article of clothing was anxiously tossed aside.  Shawn eased her down on the pillows and ran a hand across one of her breasts.  She shuddered from the touch of his calloused hands as his fingers deftly raised each nipple to a taut peak.  He tried to slow down and lavish attention on each but the need was growing so immediate between the two that foreplay was forgotten as their mouths met in a sensuous tango.

Shawn slipped effortlessly from her side to nudging her knees apart.  He paused for a moment to gaze at her face, flushed with passion.  She opened her heavy-lidded eyes when he stopped.  She appeared much as he imagined her when she and Triple H would disappear for hours at a time.  Instead of an available, beautiful woman who desired him, he saw before him his best friend's wife.  Rolling away from her, he felt like a traitor.

A confused Stephanie sat up, open-mouthed.  "Shawn?  Wha-what…" she tried to ask as he gathered up his clothes.

"Steph, I can't.  I just can't," he said and presented his backside as he quickly made for the door.  He pulled it open and realized he was about to walk out into the hotel hallway naked, holding his jeans and shirt in front of him.  He let the handle go and hastily dressed.  Before he was done, Stephanie had pulled on her robe and was at his side.  "Shawn, wait…"

He cupped her cheek with his warm hand.  "Steph, it's not you.  We'll talk tomorrow, princess."  With that, he was gone.  

She was too bewildered to cry.  Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment and anger.  She was mad, mad that he had played her for the fool.  _But did he? _she thought.  _Would he not have used me if…_  She shook her head, befuddled by it all.  _Did I do something?  He said it wasn't me and still called me princess…_  _Just when I think I've got Shawn Michaels, I don't, _she thought with a sigh and climbed into bed, trying not to agonize over it even though it was a worthless attempt.  She had made herself vulnerable by opening up to him and thought that he wanted the exact same thing.  She was not embarrassed by her physical condition—all of America had seen certain parts of her anatomy at the worst times.  No, she was more angry than ashamed and, if he didn't have a good reason, Shawn was going to get an earful tomorrow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…


	19. Creepings and Creakings

**_Chapter XIX:  Creepings and Creakings_**

Therese was up at the crack of dawn, worried about how Kevin was doing.  Checking on him, she found him fast asleep and refused to wake him, knowing he wouldn't be feeling well.  With no one to bother her, she pulled out paperwork and made some calls back to the office.  Glancing over the guest lists, no one name was connected to any on the visitor sheets for SmackDown!  The agency confirmed that they could find no links either.  Since the fingerprints on the first letter were identified as the mailboy's, no fingerprints had been found again.  The offending papers were entirely clean.  The suggestion was now being made that they concentrate solely on SmackDown! employees.  When she asked which people in particular, there were a few named but only with complete speculation.  No one stood out except for one name that surprised her—Vince McMahon.  The disgusting thought of a father writing those letters was pushed away to the back of her mind and she continued with compiling and e-mailing her weekly reports.

Her breakfast of fruit had wasted away and her stomach reminded her that it close to time for lunch.  She tucked away her papers and laptop and went to check on Kevin.  He was still snoring lightly and had yet to move.  As much as she didn't want to wake him, she knew he needed to eat and begin to take care of his back.  Pilfering the kitchen, she cooked him a warm breakfast big enough to feed a small army, hopefully enough for the both of them.  The smell of food had done nothing to wake him and she set the tray down on the bureau before sitting down on the edge of the bed.  A gentle nudge didn't help, so she nuzzled his neck and gently nibbled his ear.  His eyes slowly opened and she pulled away to smile at him.  "Good afternoon, Sleepy."

"Last time I checked, I wasn't a dwarf," he muttered and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"Would you rather I called you 'Sleeping Beauty'?"

He snorted, then said, "Big Sexy will do."

"Well, Big Sexy, roll over and let me see your back."  He did as commanded and she lifted the edge of his black shirt to reveal a bruise on the verge of every color of the rainbow and a little larger than her hand splayed out.  She ran a hand over the area to feel how swollen it was and he tensed under her touch.  "Sorry.  It looks better than I thought."

He rolled back over and asked, "What do I smell that is so wonderful?"

"Breakfast," she said with a chipper tone and bounced over to the dresser to bring him the tray.

"Wow, maybe I need to get permanently injured," he grinned but then grimaced as he pulled himself up to rest against the headboard.

"I don't think so.  I know how bad it looks, but how bad does it feel?"

"Very sore."

"You want some more painkillers?"

"Yeah," Kevin muttered.  She settled the tray across his lap and perched on the edge of the mattress while retrieving the pills from the nightstand.  He scooted over some and patted the spot he had vacated.  She settled beside him and stole a piece of bacon from his plate.  He slapped her hand but she had it shoved in her mouth before he could do anything.  He speared the sausage from hers and almost received a stab wound from her fork as she attempted to retrieve it.

"This can't be good for the digestive tract.  Truce?" Therese asked and offered him a grape.

"That's your peace offering?" He raised his eyebrows in question

"My sausage was bigger than that piece of bacon I stole _and _I'm offering some of my fruit!" she replied, astounded.

"Alright," he laughed and popped the grape in his mouth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Stephanie sighted a groggy Evan and Shawn ambling across the hotel dining room, she plastered on a fake smile and rose to greet them.  Her intent was to tell Shawn off at breakfast, but she knew full well that she couldn't with Evan present.  _And he probably knew so, too_, she angrily thought.  "Good morning, gentlemen."

"Morning," both of them muttered and bypassed her, heading straight for the food.  They eventually plodded back to the table and plopped down in the seats.

"What's on our agenda for today?"

"When I finally wake up," Shawn started and rubbed his eyes, "I'm going to pack.  We need to be on the road in less than an hour.  It's a four-hour drive alone, so I thought we could eat lunch before we get there."

"Then what?"

"I'm going to work out, relax, and then go to the arena.  You coming with me, buddy?" he asked of Evan, who, out of nowhere, perked up and readily agreed.  

"Steph, you shopping today or something when we get to Dallas?" Evan asked, curious to know if she would be accompanying throughout the day.

_I wish I could, _she thought.  Even though she had full reign to do what she wanted, the woman was too scared to be out on her own.  "No, I think I'll just stay in the hotel room or hang out with you guys.  That okay?"

"Yeah, you can definitely hang out with us," Evan replied before taking another bite out of his toast.

"I'm done here," Stephanie said, wiping her hands on a napkin.  "You guys took too long, so I didn't wait to eat.  When you're ready to leave, come get me.  Don't forget, you and I," she glanced at Shawn, "need to talk later."

"Sure," he mumbled around a mouthful of eggs with his eyes glued to the plate.  HBK didn't see the look of disgust on her face as she walked away.

The drive felt much longer than it really was.  The two adults chose to let Evan control the conversation, as he was happy to oblige.  Shawn was still trying to formulate a coherent excuse for last night without telling her the truth, which she took as aloofness, a continuation of the previous evening.

Once in Dallas, Shawn disappeared with Evan to a friend's gym.  Stephanie checked in with Therese to let her know everything was still fine and then lost herself in paperwork.  She was already behind and would incredibly be more so by the time they left San Antonio.  _Well, depending on our conversation, we'll see how much longer we're in San Antonio…_  

The knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts.  Stephanie peeked through the hole to see Shawn standing on the other side, nervously shifting his feet.  She opened the door and motioned for him to come in.  "Hi," he diffidently said and then asked, "You got a few minutes?"

"Yeah, have a seat.  What's on your mind?" she politely asked and daintily sat down, crossing her ankles.

"We should probably leave in about an hour.  Since Therese isn't here, our plan for tonight is shot," Shawn explained, "I haven't really been able to come up with anything, so I think we should go early and leave at the most inconspicuous time.  I guess you should dress the same and just come in with me.  That'll work?"

"Yeah."  

"Okay," he replied and stood to leave.  

"Are you sure there's not something else we need to talk about it?" she asked as he brushed past her.

Shawn's eyes dropped to the floor and he slowly turned back around.  He nodded and settled back in his seat.  "I was hoping you'd forgotten we were supposed to talk."

"Forgotten?" she asked in surprise.  "I'm not sure I can ever forget about how wonderful you made me feel last night—"

"Wonderful?  It was that good?"

"If it wasn't, why do you think I'm complaining?  Shawn, what happened?"

"Please, don't get mad at me," he said, tapping his fingers against the inside of his thigh.

"Too late," Stephanie replied and slightly leaned forward.

"Alright, don't be any _more_ mad at me.  When we were…when we were about…Anyhow, this searing pain hit my back and, well, I really couldn't do anything.  I was so embarrassed that I couldn't, you know, _do _anything, so the only thing I could think of was just leaving."

"You couldn't tell me?"

"That's probably the most embarrassed I've been in a while.  Of course, I couldn't tell you," he answered with a wave of his arm.

"There's other ways we can get around back pain," she said with a seductive smile.

"Yeah, I know, but I was so em—"

"Embarrassed, I got you.  Tonight's our last night before we have to go back," she said suggestively.

The image of a sensuous Stephanie flitted across his mind and the sick feeling of betrayal squeezed his stomach.  "I haven't been feeling real well today.  If it's something, I don't want to give it to you."

"Okay," she said with disappointment as he stood.  

Shawn bent over to her and cupped her cheek before giving a quick, soft kiss.  "I'll come get you when we're ready to leave."  She nodded, followed him to the door, and shut it softly behind him.  _Oh, the plans I have for you when I get you alone…_ she laughed to herself and gathered up her work before freshening up to leave.

The trio arrived at the arena early and walked in without so much as a second look from the security guard.  Stephanie noticed he was a different man from the previous night.  Shawn deposited her in his dressing room while he and Evan went to check on the card.  She set-up the monitor for the show and then kicked off her shoes before settling on the couch.

Not long after, Shawn burst into the room with a red-faced Evan behind him.  "We're leaving…now," he angrily stated.

"What happened?" a surprised Stephanie inquired.  

"Evolution found out _we _were the ones who set off the stinkbombs and we've been asked nicely by administration to leave," he replied, sarcastically.

"You're kidding?"

"Does it look like it?" he replied.  Evan shook his head, blue eyes focused on the floor.

"Sorry, guys," Stephanie tried to comfort.

"I'm angry that I drove down here and no one bothered to let me know.  Oh, Bischoff said he tried to call me _several_ times but I supposedly didn't answer my cell phone.  The damn liar," Shawn mumbled.  "I mean, Jackie Gayda and Maven are on the card, for crying out loud!"

"I'm really sorry," Evan muttered.

Shawn ruffled the boy's curls.  "It's not your fault.  It's mine."

"But it was _my _idea," he replied.

"Look, I'm not in the least sorry we did it.  I'm just upset that I drug you out here for nothing."

"It's okay.  I like hanging out with you guys," he quietly replied.  Stephanie barely hid the smirk that tried to pop out.  She couldn't wait to tell Therese that Evan actually admitted that he liked to be with Shawn Michaels.

"I'm taking y'all out for a steak dinner.  Let's get in the car," HBK said, motioning for the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kevin set down his fork across his plate and sighed, rubbing his stomach.  "You're gonna make me fat if we stay here much longer."

"You've eaten about everything that I can actually decently cook.  Don't get too excited," Therese replied with a crooked grin.

"I think I could eat that lasagna every day."

"Don't be liar," she said and stood up.  "I'll clean up in here.  Go, lie down on the couch and catch a quick nap before RAW."

"Will you marry me?" he laughed.

"What?" she said, whipping around.

"You cooked me supper and told me I could have a nap and watch television.  I wanna snatch you up before someone else does."

"I have you fooled," she replied with a cockeyed look.  "This is a one time deal, so don't get hurt again."

Kevin handed her his plate as the phone rang.  "I'll get it," he said and loped off to the living room.  Therese almost had the kitchen back in spotless order by the time he was back.

"Everything okay?" she asked and tossed aside a dishtowel.

"Kind of."

"Is Stephanie and…Mark okay?"

"Yeah, but Shawn won't be on RAW tonight."  Her eyes went wide as the worst possible scenarios played through her mind.  "It's not that bad," he said with a slight smile and related Shawn and Evan being ratted out and the subsequent punishment.

"Are they coming back tonight?" she asked, a bit anxious for their return but also a little disappointed her time alone with Kevin would be soon over.

"No, I think Shawn's too tired to make another long drive today.  Which means, it's just you and me for another night," he said the last with a seductive grin.

"Men never cease to amaze me," she said to herself, shaking her head.  "Go, so I can finish up."  She pushed him towards the door and he dragged his feet.  To get him to move, she pinched his butt and he whipped around.  "I said, 'go.'"

"Not if you do stuff like that."  She glared at him and he finally ambled off.

Kevin watched RAW to keep up with what was going on.  After the show and a movie, the two turned in for the night.  Therese tossed and turned for two hours, trying to get warm.  Apparently, Kevin had turned down the thermostat and she wasn't about to change it.  After a pair of socks, pajamas pants, and another shirt under her jersey, she decided she would hunt down another blanket.  

The hall was barely lit from the moonlight creeping in from the empty bedrooms and she fumbled with the doorknob of the closet.  The extra blankets were on the top shelf, or so she thought in the dim light.  She reached for the top shelf to pull one down but the cloth caught on something.  The entire shelf fell and she slipped on the rug in her surprise.

The noise woke Kevin and he stumbled out into the hall, turning the light on.  He found Therese sitting in the floor, squinting up at him in the bright light and surrounded by towels and tablecloths.  "Are you okay?" he said through a stifled laugh and held his hand out to her.  "What happened?"

"First off, it's not funny," she said, ignoring his outstretched hand, "and, second, I just wanted a blanket."

Kevin glanced around the door into the closet.  "There's not any blankets in there."

"I didn't know that in the dark," she replied and began sorting the cloth around her, "and I didn't want to wake you up by turning on the light."

"You could have turned off the air."

"I thought that's how you wanted it, especially since you've been using that heating pad."  Now that the tablecloths and towels were sorted, she held out a hand and he pulled her up.

"Your hand is freezing," he said and reached for her other.

"That's why I was looking for a blanket.  Do you know where Shawn keeps them?"

"They're in the bathroom closet, but get in my bed with me.  It's already warm."

"That's quite alright.  I have my own," Therese said and started to backpeddle to her room.

"I promise to be on my best behavior.  Scout's honor," he said and held his hand up in the salute.

"Just let me warm you up."

"Okay," she resigned and flipped off the hall light.  Kevin followed her into the room and climbed into the bed behind her.  Every part of her tingled as he pulled her close, one hand splayed across her stomach.  He snuggled his face into her hair and inhaled deeply, wondering what the scent could possibly be.  She couldn't resist and leaned against his chest, feeling the broad expanse against her back.  When it felt this good, she didn't care about the precariousness of their relationship.  Kevin couldn't remember the last time he had had a woman in his bed and it be this innocent.  Not that he didn't want to make love to her, because he did, he just enjoyed being with her and holding her close in any way he could.

Therese woke to an empty bed in the morning and struggled to see the alarm clock.  She had slept hours past her usual morning routine.  Instead of bolting out of bed as she would normally, she turned over and stretched, burying her face in the pillow, which still incredibly smelled like Kevin.  Before her feet hit the floor, Kevin came strolling in with a breakfast tray.

"Get back in bed," he ordered.

"I take it you're feeling better," Therese stated and crawled back under the covers.

"Somewhat.  I'm still fairly sore, but if I don't start moving more, it won't get any better," he replied and set the tray down across her lap before settling beside her.

"Wow, this looks great."

"I _am _more than just a pretty face," he said and pursed his lips.

"Maybe," she replied, indifferently.

"Maybe?" he exclaimed, taken aback.

"Yeah," she replied with a bob of her head and stuffed a mouthful of eggs into her mouth.

"So," he started, changing the subject, "when are we getting in the ring together?"

"Can't tomorrow because of SmackDown!  I think Stephanie and I have plans Friday and we fly back to Connecticut on Saturday.  It doesn't look good.  Sorry."  She already had plans for wrestling—no, beating down—Sable.  Grappling in the ring with Kevin was too close for comfort.  Then the realization hit that she was lying in Kevin Nash's bed, sharing breakfast with him.

"Today is good," he suggested.  "I'm available." suggest

"But everybody's coming back today."  Why she was still protesting, she had no idea.

"We'll go after we eat," he stated.

"Okay," she replied, slightly dejected.

"Don't sound so excited."

"If you were me, you wouldn't be excited about this match either."

"But you're getting firsthand lessons from the man himself."

These first hand lessons ended up in being a lot of goofing around in the ring.  Therese had quickly shown herself capable of defense, so Kevin had moved on to the actual components of _wrestling_.  She humored him but hands and heads kept ending up in the wrong place.  Each time they would burst out in laughter and try again.  Eventually, the laughter never stopped and she ended up trying to tackle and pin him, obviously without trying to hurt either one of them.

Therese took a flying leap onto his back from the middle turnbuckles and dangled from his neck.  He was laughing so hard that he doubled over.  She was about to tangle her long legs in his knees and trip him up when another body landed on her.  They all tumbled to mat in a heap.  The other person rolled off with a triumphant shout and yelled at them, "Whacha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?!"

Therese rolled her eyes and picked herself up off of Kevin, pulling him with her.  Turning to Evan posing on the turnbuckle, she stated lightly, "Don't get so excited.  Our backs weren't on the mat.  You didn't get the pin."

Evan jumped down from the ringpost and started circling them.  He charged her but she stepped out of the way and Kevin rolled him up, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and tickling him.  "Tap out," Kevin demanded through a laugh.

"I…can't," he replied through a hiccup of laughter.

"Do you give?"

"Yes…yes…YES!" he screamed through the giggles and Kevin gently put him back down.  A pout formed on his lips and he stated, "I'm going to tell Shawn and Steph."

Therese began laughing.  "And what are they going to do?"

The pout turned into a smile.  "I don't know.  Just thought I'd say it.  Anyways, I was just supposed to run in and tell you we're back and we're going back to the house."

"Alright, babe.  We'll be right behind you," she replied and ruffled his hair.

Therese and Kevin were not long in following and offered to take care of supper since everybody else had been in the car for over four hours.  When night fell, each filed off to their separate rooms.  Therese tossed and turned for an hour, thinking about the night before in Kevin's bed and debating on feigning being cold again.  She scolded herself for the thoughts but quickly found ways to justify them.  With a resigned sigh, she rose and tiptoed out of the room.

Stephanie had waited until she thought everyone else was sound asleep.  Shawn was obviously not coming down with something and she was ready to put her plans into play.  He would never want to turn her down again after she got through with him.  Sticking her head out into the dim hallway and seeing the coast clear, she slowly padded down the hallway.  A squeak behind her caused her to turn around and check.  She took a couple of steps backward and collided with a warm body.

Stephanie let a stifled cry and whipped around to find Therese leaning up against the wall, trying to catch her breath.  "What are doing?" Therese hissed.

"What are _you _doing?"

"I'm…going down to the kitchen to get a drink of water," Therese answered with the first thing that came to mind.

"So am I," the brunette replied and wrapped the silk robe tighter around her so that Therese couldn't see the blue negligee.

"Well, good.  We can go together."

"Okay," Stephanie replied but inwardly groaned.

They crept down the stairs together and milled about the kitchen while each slowly drank a glass of water.  They avoided each other's eyes and made small talk, both trying not to look obvious about their evening intentions.  Stephanie couldn't wait any longer and suggested that they return to their rooms.  Both snuggled back under the covers in their respective beds.  Therese took it as an omen and chose to give up on her secret mission.  Stephanie, however, was debating on how long she should wait before sneaking back out.  Within half an hour, she was back in hall, slowly creeping across the wooden floor.  A board loudly creaked and she paused, sucking in her breath.  She tentatively took another step but froze when she heard, "Stephanie, you're up again.  You okay?"

"Therese," she said, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah.  I'm surprised the whole house didn't wake up when that board creaked," the blonde replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"I need a blanket.  They're in the bathroom closet, right?"

"Yeah, and don't ask me why I know that," Therese replied and led the way.  She pulled down a pink one and handed it to Stephanie.  "These boys know how to keep the air down in here."

"Yeah," Stephanie muttered before returning to her room.

Therese suspected she was up to something, assuming the 'something' had to do with one Shawn Michaels.  Stephanie crawled back in her bed, seething with angry and muttering insults about the "guard dog" in the hallway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

**Author's Notes:  **This chapter is not one of my best and I apologize, especially since it's taken me over two weeks to get it out.  I finally finished my capstone paper (70% of my grade for this class) and turned it in today!  Whaaahooo!  I have two other projects due in the next three weeks but hopefully they won't hinder me in updating as much as the capstone paper did.


	20. Eww! Stop It!

**Author's Notes:** This should be the last chapter on our leading ladies' romp in San Antonio, maybe to some's delight that we finally move on and maybe to some's displeasure. I apologize to both—for dragging this out so long and for having to move on.

**_Chapter XX: Eww! Stop It! _**

Evan had found himself fairly lonely in his exploits in the swimming pool. This day seemed to be no different as the heat was almost unbearable and no one truly wanted to be outside with him. He finally convinced Shawn and Kevin to join him. After their paths had crossed twice last night, Stephanie had little desire to stay cooped up inside with just Therese. She donned a bikini, and, just when the guys weren't looking, she sprinted from the patio door and splashed into the water in a cannonball that caught the other three off guard.

Therese rolled her eyes, thinking that woman should conduct herself in a more grown-up manner. She wouldn't admit it was a little bit of jealousy of just letting go of all responsibility and reveling in the moment of just being, not to mention the real reason for not joining in. Everyone in creation has that one fear that only she or he could justify while everyone else thought had no foundation at all. Therese's was swimming with other people. She didn't trust anyone to not dunk or hold her under. It was something about losing the ability to breathe. She shook her head and walked away from the patio door as Shawn and Kevin were tossing Evan from the side of the pool at one of the floating inner tubes, trying to see if they could hit the ring with him. Apparently they had scored because she heard victory shouts as she settled on the couch with a book.

Shawn was having a "hard" time of controlling his attraction to Stephanie at the moment. She was amazing to him in the tiger-print bikini, her hair thick with water and her body glistening with drops of the same. He watched the innocence play on her face, none of the worries of work or her family there, as she and Evan tried to outdo each in turning underwater flips. Kevin caught him off guard in staring at them and dove underwater to pull Shawn's feet out from under him. As he came up spluttering, Kevin asked, "So I take it you see something you like?"

"Jealous? Go find your woman and leave me alone," Shawn angrily replied but then broke out into a smile.

"Yeah, I think will," he answered with a smile of his own.

"Don't drip on the carpet," HBK yelled after Kevin like he was a kid as he pulled open the sliding glass doors.

Therese had drifted into a light sleep when Kevin startled her by calling her name. "Come get in the pool with us," he pleaded.

"No, thanks, I'm just not a pool person," she replied, tapping her fingers on the book cover and trying not to stare at his wet, naked chest.

"At least, come outside with us."

"I don't know…"

"Please, Rese," he said, cutting off her argument.

"You've been listening to Evan. He only calls me that when he wants something." Kevin feigned ignorance. "Let me change," Therese replied with a sigh. Tank top and shorts later, she was stretched out on a lounge chair, attempting to read her book again. Not long after, the woman had fallen into a nap again from disinterest in the story and despite the shouts of fun coming from the water.

Kevin glanced back at her often to see her lazily turn a page and wipe away a bead of sweat. Her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses and he never knew if she was watching them or reading. He decided it was time for a break and climbed out of the pool to sit down beside her on another lounge chair. "That a good book?" She didn't move. He pulled the book from her hands and set it aside without any reaction. He nudged her leg beside the thin scar. She jerked up, her hands searching for the book. "That a good book?" he repeated and handed it back to her.

"Um, yeah…" she muttered.

"Apparently not, since you feel asleep," he lightly laughed.

"Mmm…" she mumbled and removed her sunglasses to wipe her eyes.

"Just out of curiosity, where'd you get that scar?" he asked and traced a finger softly across her leg.

Therese stretched and replied, "From a knife when this guy…this guy mugged me outside of a hockey game and I put up a fight. I forget now how many stitches it took." She couldn't believe she had almost told him that was when a stalker breached her security and was within inches a stabbing a female golf-pro, wounding only Therese as she jumped in between him and the other woman. After the incident, she was removed from her position and worked from a desk for months before she worked cases for rich, old women too frightened to go to the grocery store alone.

"Why do I believe that you'd fight back?" She shrugged her shoulders in response. "I hope that one there isn't from a stalker," he said and traced a finger down the back of her arm across a long, thicker scar.

"No, that's from a car wreck." _Yeah, try bullet hole_, she sarcastically thought, _that broke my arm and more stitches than I wanted to count._ That one was not her fault, but that of a co-worker that let a situation get out of hand. Needless to say, that person was fired. "I'm sure I could guess what each of yours are from."

"There are some you can't see that you can guess about," he whispered suggestively and leaned towards her. She didn't resist as he slowly kissed her.

"Ew, stop it!" Evan yelled as a wet ball bounced off of the back of Kevin's head. They both jerked up to see him floundering across the pool and aiming another ball.

"Sorry, man. Won't do it again," Kevin replied with his hands out defensively. Evan folded his arms and glared at them before returning back to his volleyball game with Shawn. "What was that about?"

"I have no idea, but I'll find out. Don't worry about him," Therese replied, shrugging her shoulders for herself to ward off her concern.

* * *

Stephanie paused outside of Shawn's room, a lit candle in one hand as she pushed open the door with her other. "Shawn," she whispered. He barely twisted under the sheets at his name but settled again. She set the candle down on the bureau and called his name a little louder.

The blonde slowly sat up, propping himself up on one elbow and squinting at her in the glow. She felt tingles throughout her body at the sight of his bare chest and the sheet suggestively low over his waist. "Steph, you okay, princess?" he huskily asked. She smiled at him and slinked her way across the room, dropping her robe behind her to reveal the lingerie that she had planned for him the other night. "Um, Steph…" he managed through a gulp.

"We're finally alone," she seductively whispered and sat down on his bed, pulling him to her.

In the candlelight, her skin glowed golden and he longed to run his hands across her entire body. He had hardly forgotten how she felt underneath him and kissed her back when she ran the tip of her velvet tongue across his bottom lip. "Steph," he started, placing his hands on the either shoulder. "It's not that I don't want to make love to you, but I respect you."

"Respect?" she whispered, astonished.

"You have been used by too many men. I don't want to be one of those." She shook her head with a furrowed brow. "I wanna show you otherwise."

"Really?" she asked, her blue eyes wide.

"Yeah," he replied and turned her back to him before pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "I really like you and I don't wanna ruin what we do have by doing something too soon." His was spouting the first things that came to his mind to allay his own guilt. "Am I making sense?'

She nodded and sighed, entwining her hands in his. "Yeah, I guess I'm just not used to a guy being like this."

He hugged her close and whispered, "Good."

She twisted back around to look at him. His hazel eyes sparkled blue from the flickering flame. "I think I'll go back to my bed. See you in the morning," she whispered and kissed him lightly before slipping out of the room.

Shawn caught a whiff of vanilla and noticed again the white candle on the dresser. He almost called Stephanie back to give her the candle but rose from the bed to blow it out. He paused for a moment to stare at the dancing lick of flame, thinking about what he said to Stephanie. _Maybe I meant what I said, _he thought to himself, _yeah, maybe I did. _He smiled and blew out the candle.

* * *

SmackDown! was minutes from starting and Stephanie sat behind her desk, a smug smile on her face as she finished the paperwork for her introduction of the U. S. championship title. The GM was behind on her work but this was not the day she cared. The last of the important documents were now finished as she added her signature to the paper.

As the Undertaker came out for the first match, Stephanie checked her make-up in the compact mirror. Satisfied, she and Therese headed down the corridor to wait for her turn on the stage to make her announcement. When the show returned from commercial and Benoit and Rhyno had entered the ring for a supposed tag-team, the woman straightened her blue skirt, hoisted the U. S. belt over her shoulder, and stepped out to her music while Therese hovered inside the black curtain.

She plastered on a smile as she praised Eric Bischoff and Stone Cold Steve Austin for their work at Bad Blood then announced her own paper-per-view, Vengeance, from Denver, Colorado, to counter theirs. Then she focused on the ring and revealed, "Chris Benoit, Rhyno, the two of you are tag-team partners. But tonight, you'll be facing each other in the first round of the U. S. championship tournament. And you match begins right now." Beaming a crooked grin, she turned and paraded off the stage.

The GM was feeling fairly proud of her work and the two began the walk back to her office. Several wrestlers stopped her, asking about their participation in the competition for the U. S. belt. She was as vague as possible, not giving out vital information that would be made available later, but telling them enough to keep them happy. As Therese placed her hand on the doorknob, a stagehand came running up to Stephanie.

"Miss McMahon, ma'am, Rowdy Piper is, um, giving us some trouble," the girl explained, breathless.

Stephanie sighed, "I'm coming." Little did Sable and Zach Gowen know that Therese had almost opened the door on them as Zach was falling into Sable's seductive trap in the GM's office.

Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri had had a few words with Roddy Piper and Sean O'Haire, sending Piper into an uproar. Stephanie spent far too long trying to calm him down and assuage all of the people he had pissed off in his rant. She did what she does best in negotiating with the Hot Rod to cool him off. Therese stayed out of the way but carefully regarded everything that transpired. By the time she got him settled and forced him into some apologies, it was time for Sean's match.

Needing a drink of water and a small bite to eat, Stephanie stopped off at catering. Finally, she returned to her office. She jerked open the door without waiting for Therese and found a sight that she never wanted to see again for the rest of her life. While the GM was out, Sable had seduced Gowen into thinking that he was going to get a little action. As they were kissing, Vince McMahon barged in and tossed him out. The two had set Zach up for the moment of humiliating him. Now, Vince was "thanking" Sable for her efforts as the two were feeling each other up on Stephanie's desk when she walked in.

Sable slid off of Vince and quickly began retying her top. Stephanie glared at her, inches from her face and ground out, "Get the f—GET OUT!" The blonde woman quickly scattered as Stephanie began to rant at her father, losing all control of rational thought. "I'm sorry I let you manipulate me and use me, just to be the apple of my daddy's eye," she cried. The words came tumbling out before she could stop them and she revealed to the viewing audience that her father had promised her to his business associates at the young age of seventeen. But what was worse, she admitted that she did exactly what they expected of her because she was doing it for her father. "I'm ashamed of myself, I'm ashamed of myself because I'm just like you," she yelled in a hoarse voice. She told him that she felt that Zach Gowen was her last bastion of hope to save herself and she wouldn't let him destroy Zach. "Then, fire me, fire me, dad!" Then she laid on the guilt about how she was the only person who wanted to be just like him, and she meant every word. But not anymore."

Therese stood in the doorway for a moment to see if he had any reaction and was surprised that he seemed to show some remorse. The security agent couldn't wait any longer as Stephanie stalked down the hall, so she followed behind. What else was she supposed to do? She watched the angry woman pause at the end of the corridor and glance both ways. Stephanie turned around to look at Therese with a look on her face that said, "What do I do now?" The blonde wanted to tell her to get over it. _She ought to be use to her family's stupid actions. It's not like she's never seen her father kiss another woman. By now, McMahon's idiocy should be rolling off her back like water off a duck's_, she angrily thought, but then remembered how Stephanie had declared to everyone her exploits with McMahon's business associates. No matter whom they were, no one deserved to be abused in such a way.

Fighting down anger at McMahon and feeling the swell of sympathy, Therese took charge of the situation. "Do you have your cell phone?" The brunette nodded. "Come on. I'm leaving you with a couple of security guards and then I'm going to get your things. We're going home. Call everybody you need to keep this show running. Get the head officer to send someone after Evan. I have no idea where he's at now." _And I hope he hasn't heard of word about what just happened, _she thought.

Stephanie said nothing but only bobbed her head in response. She watched Therese disappear down the hallway and only wondered how she would fare with Vince and Sable. The GM made the necessary calls and then put one in to her mother. They had had their ups and downs but now their relationship seemed to be on the steady track. She had apologized to Linda profusely for everything she had ever done because she wanted and needed her mother back, especially since she had to start a new life as a divorced woman.

"Mom…" she started but her voice broke as she began to cry.

"Steph, baby, it's alright. Honey, I know," Linda soothed, having been watching the show. "They're not worth the tears."

"I know," she sobbed. "But I…can't help…it."

"You stood up to them. They thought you would fold but you didn't. Baby, you did right. Stop crying, sweetie."

"But, I just told the whole world that I…that I did…" she couldn't finish for sobbing.

Linda was furious when she had heard what Stephanie confessed. Her husband would be hearing more than an earful when she got hold of him. "Baby, listen to me, it doesn't matter what you said now that it's out in the open. You are still my daughter and _I _love you and I'm proud of you. Now, stop crying. You know how bad you always feel afterward."

"Yes, momma," Stephanie sniffled. She glanced around for a bathroom to retrieve tissue but saw Therese walking across the enclosed parking lot with her briefcase and her purse. "Can I call you back later?" Linda agreed and Stephanie snapped the phone shut.

* * *

Therese didn't bother to knock on the door. This was Stephanie's office, not Vince's and Sable's. She barged in to find Vince half-naked with his belt undone. Sable jumped up and fumbled with the ties on the top of her dress. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Vince yelled.

"Stephanie would like her belongings," she replied, walking around them to back of the desk. She laid open the briefcase where the two had lain and began placing folders inside.

"Courtesy says you knock first," Vince growled as he slipped his dress shirt back on.

"Courtesy says you don't bang sluts on your daughter's desk," she coolly replied and closed the laptop.

"You just didn't," Sable responded, astonished.

"I just did," Therese said with a smile, the first expression on her face since entering the room.

"I can't wait until I get you in the ring next week," Sable snarled.

"Neither can I," the other woman replied and began checking the drawers to be sure nothing was left behind.

Vince was bothered by the impassivity of her visage. "When you lose next week, I will personally see your ass out of my building."

"When I win next week, you will be seeing your bitch to the emergency room," she replied nonchalantly and took the papers from the fax machine. As she clicked the latches shut on the leather case, Vince and Sable sandwiched her behind the desk. Therese shook her head with a slight smile as she slung Stephanie's purse over her head and one shoulder. Without giving away her intentions, Therese kneed Sable in the stomach and then ducked from McMahon's attack. She grabbed the suitcase and started for the door. McMahon was instantly around the desk and blocked her way to the door. She faked left and pivoted around, jamming her heel into his foot as hard as possible before fleeing the room. Hurrying down the hall, she beamed a rather self-satisfied smile.

The smile grew broader, if possible, when Therese saw Stephanie's eyes widen before ending the call she was on. "You're still in one piece. How did you do it?"

"I'm sure you'll hear about it later," Therese answered, rolling her eyes.

"I wanna know now," Stephanie demanded with a grin.

"I wanna know too," Evan echoed as he slipped up beside them.

"Get in the Suburban and I'll tell you guys on the way back to Shawn's," Therese replied. "I don't want to wait around here for McMahon to come after me."

As soon as they returned home, Shawn came bounding out of the door and wrapped Stephanie up into a bear hug. Therese and Evan left them be and went on inside. Shawn finally released her, pulling back to gaze into her eyes. "You okay, princess?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. I've been through a lot of therapy for this. I just can't believe I blurted it out on TV."

"Apparently, you didn't resolve it in therapy since it just came out like that," he quietly replied and smoothed away an errant strand of hair from her face.

"I don't think I ever dealt with the anger…" she mused to herself

"You wanna talk, sweetheart?" he asked, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek.

"No, I've talk too much about it already."

"You know where I'm at if you need me," he said, leaning in to touch her forehead with his.

"Mmm-huh, just hold me now," she murmured and he led her to the porch swing, gently pulling her down beside him. Shawn held her against his chest until she fell asleep. The man was angry as well and wished he could get his hands on Vince McMahon. He now truly believed what he had told her the night before about respecting her. He now had a desire to show her exactly what respect meant and how a woman should be treated.

Once Evan was out of ear-shot, getting ready for bed, Therese vented her anger to Kevin. He had a few choice words he felt he needed to get off his chest and she listened in return. Therese wanted to talk to Stephanie and check on her, but Shawn seemed to have everything under control. She would find a time later to talk to her.

* * *

Friday was their last day and Shawn and Kevin decided to drop in at the training school for an unexpected, surprise visit. The trainees quickly welcomed them and the two wrestlers used it as an opportunity to work out sore muscles and practice moves. After everyone had left, Nash prodded Therese into the ring and she allowed him to teach her as much as possible in one evening, thinking it might actually come in handy.

The day was over quicker than any of them wanted it to be, especially since they had all went out for a nice dinner. Evan knew it would be the last time he ever got to hang out with wrestlers, even if it was those two has-beens that had moved highly up his list. "Mark" was returning "home" now that his mother was back and settled. In all actuality, Therese was putting him on a plane to Chicago for his eight-week camp. It was nothing new; they did this every summer, just a new extracurricular activity each time.

Evan's plane left before the other flights, so Therese planned to stay with him until time for him to board.

"Evan, babe, can I ask you something?" Therese quietly asked.

"You just did," he lightly replied. With the look she gave him, he quickly added, "Yeah, what do you want?"

"The other day when you threw that ball at me and Kevin when we were, um, kissing, what brought that on?"

"That's just nasty," he answered with a disgusted face. "You don't do that in front of others."

"You've seen me kiss a guy before."

"I didn't have to worry about any of those guys," Evan stated and picked at a button on his shirt.

"Worry about them? What do you mean?" she asked, turning halfway in her seat.

"Those guys before Kevin were stupid jocks that you brought home or stuffed up businessmen. You really didn't like any of them, I could tell. Besides, none of them cared about me."

"And Kevin?"

"Well…maybe…I mean…well, I don't know what I mean," he stuttered, struggling with what he wanted to say.

"Are you afraid that you'll be second in my life and he'll be first?" Evan slowly nodded, his eyes focused on the diamond-patterned rug. "We're not serious. Don't worry."

"I may be thirteen, but I know what love is," he mocked Forrest Gump.

"No, you don't, goofy," she said with a grin and tweaked his ear.

The dark-haired boy smiled back but then grew serious. "I know something's different between you two."

"You're more important to me than anyone," she replied and hugged him across the plastic seat.

When she released him, he asked, "Is Stephanie gonna be okay? I don't know what happened, but I know something went wrong."

"She's going to be alright. Don't worry about her. Me and Shawn'll take care of her okay," Therese offered in comfort. "I'll let her know you asked about her, but now it's time for you to go," she added when they heard his row called. "Call me as soon as you can get to a phone. I love you."

"Love you, too," he replied and hugged her again before getting in line. With Evan gone, Therese gathered her own things to meet up with the rest of them before her and Stephanie's flight to Connecticut and Shawn's and Kevin's to New York. She slowly walked down the airport's corridors, pondering what Evan had said about her and Kevin and the possibility of love.

TBC…


	21. High Stakes and Low Snakes

**_Author's Notes: _**I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but, in the middle of Stephanie-Zach-Vince storyline on SmackDown, Sable is announced as Stephanie's assistant and then, two weeks or so later, she really isn't Stephanie's assistant anymore. This is my version of why. (Note the mischievous grin on the author's face.)

**_Chapter XXI: High Stakes and Low Snakes_**

A dull, quiet mood had settled over the two women as they stayed out of each other's way in Stephanie's Connecticut home. Both of them were exhausted from their charade but both had more work to do than was feasible in this weekend reprieve from traveling and hotel rooms. Without having to hide from others, Therese made liberal use of the fax and Internet. Eventually, the GM gathered up her papers and laptop and settled at the breakfast table to get away from the other woman's intrusions into her office.

Monday morning, Therese returned with the mail, flipping through the envelopes for no good reason and walking up the long drive. She stopped for a moment on one that was postmarked from San Antonio with no return address. Placing that envelope on top, she set the pile down in front of Stephanie as the brunette settled at the table for breakfast. "I'm taking a dip in the pool, if you need me," Therese told her, tossing a strawberry in her mouth from the fruit plate on the table.

Stephanie acknowledged her and reached for the mail, fanning it out before her. She made quick work of the junkmail and entered the wedding invitation into her calendar. Finally she picked up the envelope from Texas to open it. The spoon dropped from her hand…it was another letter from the stalker and, this time, Shawn Michaels was being dragged into the picture. Stephanie grabbed her cellphone and sprinted for the pool. She burst into the door and startled Therese, who was leisurely floating in the middle of the water and daydreaming of Kevin Nash. Therese accidentally gulped down a mouthful of water and came up sputtering. _Exactly why I swim alone, _she thought as she blew water from her nose.

Stephanie stood at the edge of the pool, holding out the letter and flipping through her call list. "It's another one! I have to call Shawn this time! He has to know!"

"Calm down!" Therese yelled at her, swimming to the edge where Stephanie stood. When she put the phone up to her ear, Therese splashed water in her face. Startled, the brunette ended the call before it went through. The agent pulled herself up out of the pool and grabbed a nearby towel. "Hold the letter up so I can read it while I dry off."

Stephanie obeyed but continued to talk. "I know he's gonna hurt Shawn. I have to warn him. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to him because of me. I just, I just…I have to tell him that—"

"Shut up!" Therese yelled and snatched the letter from her hand now that her hands and arms were dry. It was the same crisp, white paper with the large WWE logo in the corner. She had skimmed most of the contents during Stephanie's anxiety attack. "Shawn is going to be fine. This idiot's not worried about him. He thinks he's better for you than Shawn and is trying to dissuade you from going out with him. No one has to be concerned about this just yet. Well, we do, but that's it. When he writes that he won't share you with Shawn, now that's when you have to get worried."

"Are you sure? I think he needs to know," Stephanie panted.

"I'll make you a deal. We're going to be in New York tomorrow. I'll get us in to see Aaron Pendleton as soon as we get there. If Aaron thinks Shawn should know, _then _we can tell him. Otherwise, this is still between us. Okay?"

Stephanie stuck her thumbnail between her teeth and began to chew as she mulled over the proposition. "Yeah," she finally replied.

"Now," Therese began and put her hands on either of Stephanie's shoulders, "did you finish your breakfast?"

"No."

"Then, you need to go eat," the blonde replied, trying to calm her further.

"I don't think I can," the other woman sighed.

"At least get some crackers to settle your stomach. You can't not eat."

Stephanie nodded, her blue eyes as distant as the ocean horizon. She turned to go but immediately spun back around on her heel, the distance in her eyes gone. "Don't ever yell at me again."

Therese was taken aback at the scolding. She shot back with the first thing that came to mind. "Don't ever wig out on me again."

"I don't care what I do. I do not employ people who yell at me."

"Then you need to fire half of your wrestlers."

"I do not employ people that I can control who yell at me," the brunette angrily replied with the qualifier.

Therese bit back the comment that was on the tip of her tongue. She quietly spoke, enunciating each word carefully, "Remember, if you fire me, there's a stalker waiting around the corner who won't take as kindly to your words." She wrapped the towel around her and stomped out of the room to leave a stunned Stephanie staring after the watery footprints.

The GM didn't know what had come over her. She was used to being in control of everything about her life, but now a security agent that she couldn't get along with controlled her life. An unnamed stalker controlled her life. It was as if she had to lash out at someone in some way to gain some sort of control. There were some days that she thought the two were making headway in being civil to each other but then something like this happens and they can't stand to be in each other's presence. She was not going to stoop so low as to apologize. She assumed that it wouldn't matter because, any day now, the job would be over and she would never have to see Therese ever again. _A shame, I really liked Evan, _she thought as she headed back to the kitchen.

Therese flitted in and out of the den that evening during RAW, which was taking place at Madison Square Garden, while Stephanie was set up on the couch to analyze the show. The blonde rolled her eyes in disgust as she watched Test level the poor Mae Young. The man seemed to have no care for the feminine half of his species. Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels were set to take on Ric Flair and Randy Orton in a tag-team match. The two women called a truce to watch the match together on the couch. They high-fived each other as HBK laid out Flair with Sweet Chin Music and pulled out a win. Now that the moment was other, both sidled away from each other and back into her own business.

Tuesday morning, the two women sat down together to run over the week's schedule. They were to meet with Shawn and Kevin for dinner Wednesday night and Thursday night was obviously the big match with Sable and Therese, also at Madison Square Garden. The men had decided to stick around in New York so that they could all celebrate Therese's win together that night.

The afternoon's meeting with Aaron was over with quickly. He was very adamant about Shawn knowing nothing. Stephanie chewed her thumbnail again but agreed. The two ladies stopped off at Therese's apartment so that she could switch out her wardrobe and a few other things for the road.

Stephanie walked around the quaint place, saying very little as she peered into the numerous photographs of her family that dotted the walls, furniture, and refrigerator door. Finally, she announced, "I really like your place. Maybe we should stay here instead of the hotel."

Therese came around the corner from her bedroom. "I've thought of it but I think we're safer at the hotel. That lock on my door won't hold someone who really wants to get through. Besides, the hotel has a policeman on duty all the time and Kevin and Shawn will be expecting to pick us up at the hotel."

"Yeah, you're right," she sighed. Stephanie loved how homey the place was. She had few pictures of her family up. Most of her pictures were famous paintings that an interior decorator had chosen. Therese's place felt lived in while her home was a museum to stop in at every once and while. "You about ready?" she asked as Therese disappeared back into her room. She followed the blonde in, who had her half-packed suitcase out on the bed. "You should wear a dress on our date tomorrow," Stephanie commented and perused the other woman's closet.

"Which one? The blue one Kevin's already seen _or _the black one he's already seen?" she responded sarcastically.

"That's the only two you own?"

"Yeah," Therese replied, with a roll of her eyes. "Okay? Just let it go."

"But you have several pairs of high heels…" Stephanie started.

"They're to go with the suits that Evan made me buy when I took your case."

"Why don't you wear them?"

"I tried and I found out that I can't run in them as well as I thought I could."

"You just have to get use to them," Stephanie replied and pulled out a pink blouse from the closet. "You actually own something pink? If you wore this, hell would freeze over."

Therese jerked it out of her hands and threw it in the suitcase. Even though she had purchased some clothes that were similar to Stephanie's, she never worked up the nerve to wear the colors or styles. Besides her favorite color of black to wear, she still stuck with blues, grays, and browns. "Please get out of my closet."

"Fine, be frumpy."

"I am _not _frumpy," she replied and pushed the brunette out of her room.

* * *

Dinner was the usual with the gentlemen, except they all found it weird to not have Evan there chattering away. Somehow, they found conversation and the evening went smoothly although Therese and Stephanie would loved to have taken each other on in a no DQ match. 

As Kevin bid Therese goodnight, he asked, "Are you and Steph okay? Did y'all fight?"

"Yeah, it was over something stupid," she said, dismissing the tension between the two. "I think we're starting to grate on each other's nerves since we've been together 24/7 for over a month."

"You need to come back to Atlanta with me for the weekend and take a break from her," he suggestively replied, wrapping an arm around her.

"I wish I could, but, we got so far behind staying in San Antonio all week, that it's impossible for me to take the weekend off. I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

"Yeah," he quietly replied and leaned in for a slow kiss that sent shivers down her spine. If his hand wasn't supporting her back, she knew she would have fallen backward from the way he was making her weak in the knees.

Thursday morning came and Therese was still thinking about the kiss. They had to be at the arena early, so she knocked on Stephanie's half open door to make sure she was awake. The brunette jerked awake, wide-eyed. "You're supposed to be up by now. Remember what today is?"

"Yes," she yelled at her. "Now go away so I can get ready." Therese was a little surprised at Stephanie's unusual morning demeanor. It was a shame she was going to let Stephanie in on a practical joke that she had planned for Kevin and Shawn that night. She really wanted to leave her out in the dark but her cooperation was severely needed.

Stephanie hadn't meant to yell at her but she was highly pissed off at being wakened in the middle of her dream. She and Shawn were lying on a beach of soft sand, the ocean's waves tickling their feet. The sun lightly warmed their naked bodies as Shawn caressed her bare skin. The mouths met in a deep kiss and his hand trailed its way across her stomach and down to the center of her thighs and then…Therese had barged in. Stephanie couldn't get the dream out of her head as she readied for the day.

* * *

Therese stretched on the apron while Stephanie was spread out with her work on the front row. After warming-up, the blonde dashed across the ring, bouncing off the ropes, and then turned several handsprings to test the mat's elasticity. She stood in the center and stared around her at the empty arena. This was Madison Square Garden and she couldn't believe that she was participating in match here when so many other people deserved it far more than she. 

Not knowing what else to do, Therese began running drills that she had seen Shawn and Kevin practice. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed John Cena approaching Stephanie. The blonde slowed down to watch but, after a moment with the GM, Cena climbed in the ring. With a cute rhyme, he offered to give her tips for the night. Therese glanced over at Stephanie, who nodded to let her know that it was okay.

"Yeah, why not? You wouldn't mind teaching me how to bitchslap like you do?" He turned just a little red at the comment. "The way you smacked Jericho that night—wow! That boy was lying on the ground…I'm gonna stop babbling now. So, teach away."

"I noticed a couple of things you were doing wrong…" he started. She listened to his explanation with raised eyebrows but allowed him to correct her moves and show her a few more.

"Therese! Therese!" Stephanie called to get the attention of the woman that Cena held up on the top turnbuckle. "I've got to go back to the office…if you're coming."

"Yeah," Therese called and slipped down from the ropes with John's help. With Stephanie out of earshot, she asked, "Why'd you decide to help me?"

"I can see how important you are to Stephanie and how much somebody needs to take out that slut. Steph has enough trouble without Sable causing more. I don't want her to have to put up with that woman as an assistant anymore."

For a moment, Therese took pleasure in thinking that someone around there might have cared about her but it was all still about Stephanie. She tried not to show her disappointment to Cena as she thanked him and followed the GM back to the office.

After a few phone calls and a fax or two, Stephanie made her first preliminary round for the show. Therese slipped back into her shoulder holster and concealed it under the jacket of her jogging suit. They passed Torrie Wilson in the hall and Stephanie turned to Therese. "I didn't think about it until now, but I suppose you want an outfit for the match? I'm sure wardrobe could pull something out in time."

"I'm not some woman that you can parade around in her underwear. This is good enough," she hastily replied, picking at her track pants.

"Fine, I was trying to be nice since this _is _a televised match." Therese didn't bother with a reply.

Shortly back in the office, Stephanie plopped down at her desk with a sigh. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

"We ahead of schedule?" Therese asked and the GM nodded in reply. "I've got an idea for tonight. Wanna play a practical joke on Kevin and Shawn?" Stephanie's eyes shot open in interest. Therese pulled a deck of cards out of her bag and tossed them down on the desk. "This evening, you learn to play poker."

"What does this have—"

"They think that I can't…" Therese began to detail her plan. Stephanie mischievously grinned and agreed.

Sable and Therese were the third match of the night. Stephanie tried to argue her way into accompanying the short-term wrestler but was talked out of it. She was to stay in her office with a security guard nearby, the safest place for her in the arena. The brunette squeezed the other woman's arm in reassurance before she slipped out the door. She realized that she shouldn't have been so mean to Therese over the past few days since it was all on her shoulders to dispatch Sable from her assistant position. Therese was doing her a favor and she didn't show her any gratitude. Feeling a bit of remorse, she justified her actions by assuring herself that Therese had no other option or she would be fired.

Therese made her way to the ring first, coming out to Stephanie's music. No one bothered to put together a video package for her and she preferred it that way. Hopefully, everyone would forget that this ever happened. Sable soon made her entrance to the delight of the men in the arena. Therese stood to the side while the bimbo posed. When the bell rang, the two blondes circled each other. Therese held up her hand and Sable took it. The agent had to stop her almost involuntary reaction of catching Sable's leg before it hit her midriff. She dropped to one of her knees a little winded. It was exactly what she was expecting. The point was to let Sable think that she had the upper hand and then promptly beat her senseless.

Sable twisted around and flipped Therese over her shoulder, slamming the woman on her back. Stephanie knew the plan but paced her office, her thumbnail in her mouth again. Therese pulled herself up on the turnbuckle and Sable assaulted her with several chest slaps. She didn't realize how much they stung. With Therese caught a little off guard, Sable lashed out with her fist. The other woman realized too late and started to move but the punch caught her on the cheekbone. _That's enough, _Therese thought and put a hand over the aching muscle.

The taller blonde kicked the other's shin. When Sable bent over in pain, Therese dropped an elbow into the center of her back before wrapping her arms around the hurting woman and executing a side suplex. That was to prove to Kevin that she had been paying attention to his advice. She picked up the woman and slung her into the ropes and clotheslined her. Looking at the woman who was heaving from lack of oxygen, Therese wondered how much longer she should continue. She set Sable up in the corner and raised her hand to deliver a slap. Her arm dropped as she saw Vince McMahon stride down the ramp. She turned back around and slapped the taste out Sable's mouth.

In that one moment, Therese lost sight of Vince until she noticed his leering face from where she was sprawled out on the mat from him having grabbed her ankle and tripped her up. Sable pounced on her but Therese was able to throw her off. McMahon had since done the same to the referee as he had done to Therese. Therese kicked Sable in the stomach to stop that assault but was instead attacked with a chair from the chairman of WWE. She fell to her knees and Vince raised the chair again. She tried to scramble out of the way, but the pain was almost unbearable. She couldn't believe how bad a chairshot hurt, but she was barely able to slip away as John Cena slid into the ring with a chair of his own. McMahon ducked his swing and crawled out as Cena followed him.

Therese knew she shouldn't have been surprised over all that had happened but was still a little in shock. She glanced at Sable and then at the unconscious ref. She picked up the steel chair just in time to step out of the other woman's path as she tried to attack her. Therese hefted the heavy steel up and then swung at Sable. As the chair met the resistance of a body, Therese satisfactorily sighed before tossing the chair aside. She roused the ref and waited for Sable to stand to show her gratitude to Cena. When the blonde did, Therese dashed across the ring and speared Sable flat on her back. The ref counted slowly, but it didn't matter, the woman was out. Therese reveled in the moment and allowed the ref to raise her hand while the announcer declared her as the winner and continued assistant to the GM. The celebration had to be cut short so that she could return as quickly to Stephanie as possible and avoid another altercation with Vince McMahon.

Therese had just come and gone when her cell phone rang. Stephanie let it go into voicemail but the caller tried again. This time, she picked it up, thinking it might be Kevin.

"Blair, what the hell did you think you were doing? You could have seriously—"

"Excuse me," Stephanie interrupted and cleared her throat. "This is Stephanie McMahon. May I help you?"

"Is Miss Blair there?" the unfamiliar male voice asked.

"She is not currently available. Would you like an explanation for this match or would you like to continue yelling expletives at me?"

"Yes, ma'am. I mean, yes, I would like an explanation. This is Aaron Pendleton. I apologize for my, um, words. I didn't know that you had answered."

"Thank you," she replied as thick as syrup and gave the man the barest essentials of what he needed to know. "Now, you have just learned of this match after the fact. That concerns me somewhat of the quality of your firm regarding my security. If you had known beforehand and approved, you wouldn't be calling my _assistant _to tell her otherwise. Tell me, _should _I be worried?"

"No, please don't worry about it," he pleaded. "I personally do not monitor the show and happened to see the match. I _will _speak to _my _assistant to find out why this escaped our attention."

"I truly appreciate that. Have a good evening," she stated before hanging up on his reply. She set the phone down as a knock sounded at the door. "Who is it?" she called.

"Zach Gowen."

The GM rose to let the young man. Vince had sent word that he would be calling her and Zach out to the ring and that they needed to be ready because "he didn't have time for their silly-ass games."

Therese returned not long after, dressed in a suit and the scent of shampoo following her. Stephanie gave her the run-down of the call from Pendleton. She could see the anger behind Therese's eyes as she shifted the icepack on her cheek. The GM turned her attention back to Zach about what her father could have up his sleeve. Before they knew it, McMahon was calling out to them on the monitor. The trio scurried out of the office and split ways at the ramp. The brunette squeezed Zach's arm and tossed her hair back before leading the way to the black curtain.

Stephanie was in GM mode, coolly and confidently striding to the ring. After what she flung at her father last week, there wasn't much that could be said that would be worse. McMahon first started on admitting that he used her to close business deals but that it didn't matter what she did because she was still 'daddy's girl.' _Whatever, _she thought, _if I was daddy's girl you wouldn't have abused me then and you definitely wouldn't be doing it now. _She fought down the anger and continued to listen with an impassive face as he stated that he felt like he stole her innocence and 'deflowered' her. Forcing down the disgusting thought of him 'deflowering' her, she wanted to believe his words but knew it was a line for which she couldn't fall.

Vince then turned to lay it on thick to Gowen, saying he wanted to be like Zach who had looked death in the face and beat it. He stated that he admired the young man and then offered an apology. Stephanie could see right through it. He only apologized so that he could then manipulate Zach into whatever crooked idea he came up with next. The boy was smart enough to refuse, telling McMahon that he couldn't intimidate him. Since Vince was offering apologies, he could also offer him a contract. Stephanie smiled to herself. _Good boy, _she thought, harkening back to their conversation in her office.

To both people's surprise, McMahon offered Zach a contract if…he joined the "Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass" Club. The older man wasted no time in dropping his pants. Gowen's face was turning green at the idea. Then the idea hit Stephanie. She walked over to the teenager and whispered something into his ear. He smiled in return and began to bend over. The crowd gasped in surprise at the thought of the boy kissing that pasty flesh. Then, in an instant, Zach nailed McMahon with a lowbow. He and Stephanie quickly slipped out of the ring and celebrated on the outside. Massaging her back that was growing quickly sore, Therese shook her head and took up her usual post behind Stephanie.

The security agent said nothing upon their return to the office. Offering advice about SmackDown! was not in her job description, but she wanted to tell Stephanie that nailing her father in the balls was definitely not going to fix their already strained relationship. She turned to finding another pain reliever for her aching body while Zach and the GM congratulated each other, reliving their triumphant moment. The teen excused himself for the evening and Stephanie saw him out.

"Stephanie, can I ask you something personal?"

"Depends," she replied with a halfsmile, coming across the room to sit on the couch beside Therese.

"I wanted to ask you about this last week but just haven't gotten that far. Um, do you need to talk sometime about what you had to go through when you were a teenager—"

"It's okay," Stephanie tried to hold back the edge in her voice. Everyone had asked her if she needed to talk, something she was tired of doing. She just wanted to put behind her what she had blurted out on television. It had felt good to yell at her father about it and maybe that was the closure she needed. Talking about those men's slimy hands and flabby bodyparts would only make it worse instead of helping it. Therese probably felt that she had to ask the question also, like everyone else. Just a formality. What kind of person would they be if they didn't ask? "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I've talked too long about it to everyone but my father," she calmly replied and rose from the couch, wanting to add that Therese could feel that her duty had been fulfilled.

When Stephanie returned to her desk, Therese tossed the deck of cards at her and she caught them in mid-air. "Tell me, what's a flush?"

"All of the same suit," Stephanie sighed with exasperation. "I know what's the hands are."

"Yeah, I know that but are they supposed to know that?"

Stephanie couldn't suppress the giggle. "This is so mean. I can't believe we're doing this."

"I know, but can you give me a really good reason why we shouldn't?" Therese smugly replied.

"None that I can think of. What to play some more?"

The women plotted while the cards slid across the table. When the main-event began, Stephanie folded and turned her attention to the monitor. The match was Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, and Mr. America vs. Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, and the Big Show. Angle, Lesnar, and Hogan seemed to have control of the match when Vince McMahon came rampaging out of the back, throwing a hurting Zach Gowen out on the ramp and kicking the hell out of him. It was enough of a distraction for the Big Show to put the chokeslam on Mr. America and get the three count.

Stephanie was out the door before Therese could stop her. The blonde sprinted after her and grabbed her by the arm. Stephanie jerked around and spat out, "Just do _your _job and let me do mine." Therese dropped her arm and jogged behind her to the ring entrance. She peeked out from behind the black curtain to watch the drama unfold.

Vince was still mercilessly beating Zach near the top of the ramp and Stephanie stormed out of the back to stop the stupid spectacle. She lay across the young man's body, forcing her father to quit. He signaled for a mic and then offered the prostrate Zach a chance for a contract. A surprised Stephanie pulled herself up from where she lay and listened intently as McMahon set up the stipulations—win one match and with a partner at that. The partner was Stephanie herself. She was already getting a sick feeling in her stomach, afraid to hear the rest. Their opponent was to be none other than the Big Show. She swallowed hard to fight back her rage. _Don't think about, don't think about it, _became her mantra as she promised to call Zach later on in the week to talk about the match and then indicated to Therese that they were leaving.

_This is exactly what you get when stick your nose where it doesn't belong, _the blonde thought and gathered her things together in the office. Stephanie was outwardly calm over the circumstances. She attempted to explain everything to Shawn over the phone as she arranged papers in her briefcase. "I have full confidence in Zach. Between the two of us, it'll be easy. It's the Big Show. He has zip wrestling talent. I'll be fine." Stephanie turned to Therese and held the phone out to her. "Shawn wants to talk to you."

"Yeah?" Therese asked, answering the phone.

"You have to talk her out of this."

"Shawn, hon, we'll be back at the hotel in less than five minutes and I've got a week. Quit worrying," she replied and then added in a syrupy tone, "By the way, thank you for the congratulations. I agree that I did a good job."

"Sorry," Shawn apologized. "I knew you'd do fine. You should have seen Kevin sitting in front of the TV. I haven't seen him that nervous in ages."

"Yeah, tell him I said 'thanks' too."

"He didn't want to bother you since you're at work and all, in case you were doing official 'Stephanie stuff.' Here he is." Stephanie blatantly tapped her foot impatiently.

"Shawn, it's okay. We'll be there—" Therese started but it was useless.

"Therese, good job," Kevin said.

"Thanks, babe. Do you mind if we don't go out tonight? My back is killing me from that chairshot."

"Yeah, we'll see you in a few minutes," he said before hanging up. Therese handed the phone back to Stephanie. "I got your message," she dryly stated.

Stephanie smiled at her. "There are some guys waiting on us that we might not be able to see again for a couple of weeks."

Therese laughed in reply, "Let's go."

The parking lot was not deserted but it was clear. The driver to the limo noticed them and climbed out of the car. At that time, Therese caught sight of John Cena coming into the lot from another door and called his name. "I have to talk to John. Wanna come?" Stephanie shrugged and she and Therese met Cena halfway. "Thanks, man," Therese said, holding out her fist.

Cena rapped his knuckles on hers and replied, "No problem. Good job. Ever thought of becoming a wrestler?"

She laughed. "No, I have enough excitement keeping up with her," she responded and hooked her thumb towards Stephanie.

"John," Stephanie spoke up, "thanks for helping out. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for helping us get rid of Sable."

"I was thinking of a dinner," he replied.

"A meal wouldn't be enough," Stephanie sweetly responded and put a hand on his arm. "I'll see about getting you a bonus."

"Steph—" Therese started but immediately shut up when the brunette discreetly pinched her in the side.

"Have a good night," she said and hooked arms with Therese to drag her back to the waiting limo.

"Are you so dense that you didn't know he was asking you out on a date?"

"Yeah, I got that. I didn't want to flatly turn him down but I didn't want to accept either. How am I supposed to explain to Shawn that I went out with Mr. Thuganomics?" she said with a roll of her eyes. "Speaking of delicious men, we have to get back."

Therese just shook her head and followed her into the limo.

TBC…

**_

* * *

Author's Notes:_** This is inordinately late because I spent way too long looking for my tapes that have this episode of SmackDown! and the one for the next chapter on them. I am very perturbed that they have vanished like my black socks in the dryer. (If the underpants gnomes are listening, do you have my tapes?) After I couldn't find the tapes, I had to write the sections of the show from scant summaries that I could find. It's not pretty and if I have something wrong, please let me know (nicely). Thanks for putting up with me and my mess! 


	22. Cheater, Cheater, Peanut Eater

**Author's Notes:** That warning in chapter one about sexual situations, that might come into play in this chapter.

**_Chapter XXII: Cheater, Cheater, Peanut Eater_**

Kevin flipped the cellphone shut and tossed it to Shawn. "This isn't the first time Stephanie's been in a match. You got some _vested_ interest in her or something?"

"I would hate to see something happen to that beautiful body," Shawn replied nonchalantly.

Kevin laughed and stretched his long legs out, propping them up in the other chair. "I take it you've gotten hold of 'that beautiful body," he said, mocking Shawn. HBK said nothing in reply and shrugged his shoulders. "You mean y'all haven't…" The taller man trailed off. "She turned you down, didn't she?"

"Look," Shawn replied, throwing Kevin's feet out of the chair and sitting down opposite of him. "I turned her down _and_ not because I don't want her." Nash sat up in the chair, intent on hearing _this _excuse. "I just feel like…" he started and ran his hand over his face. "I feel like I'm taking something that belongs to my best friend."

"She's not mine. Wait, we're not talking about Therese, are we?" he added, facetiously.

"No, no. Hunter," Shawn answered with a glare.

"You're hell bent on destroying him and you're worried about sleeping with his ex-wife? That would be a good way to start, you know…not that I'm advocating it," Kevin hastily added the last. "If it's not one thing, it's another with her. If it's not her father, it's her ex-husband. What do you have to worry about? I think you're making excuses because you're afraid."

"Of what?"

"I don't know. Falling in love, maybe," Kevin answered and leaned back in his seat.

Shawn glanced away and replied, "Whatever."

* * *

In the limousine, the women finalized their plans. After the ritual checking out of their rooms by Therese, they changed into something more comfortable and called the guys. Kevin handed Therese the bucket of ice she requested and made a fuss over looking at her shoulders where the chair had impacted them. He helped her, even at her request not to, make an icepack for her cheek. 

In the other room, Shawn immediately started on Stephanie agreeing to the handicap match for next week. The brunette held up a finger, effectively quieting him. "Save it for another night. I just want to forget about things and being with you does that for me. However, it doesn't help if you harp on me about it."

"I'm sorry, princess…So, I make you forget about things?" he seductively asked and inched towards her. She tipped her head up, sucking in her breath and waiting for his kiss. He brushed his lips across hers before pulling her closer into a searing kiss. The slamming of the ice bucket caused them to jerk apart. A grinning Kevin Nash stood there with the bucket in his hand and Therese peaking around him, the same smile on her face.

"What are we doing tonight?" Shawn asked, taking a seat and propping his feet up on the bed.

"I wouldn't mind learning to play poker," Stephanie answered with the ultimate innocent look on her face.

"I didn't bring any cards," Shawn replied. "If you want to that bad, I guess we could go—"

"I have some," Therese called, dashing into the other room and returning to toss them on the table.

"There's only one problem with that. I don't play poker unless it's strip poker," Shawn suggestively responded and let the cards fall from the box into his hand. He flashed a grin at Kevin, who returned it with as much enthusiasm.

"Well, ladies?" the other man asked.

Stephanie and Therese nervously glanced at each other. The blonde gestured for Stephanie to come into her room. They loudly whispered to each other to give the impression that they were weighing their answer. The girls quickly added socks and a robe to their dress and sauntered around the corner. "Alright, we accept," Stephanie said and grandly took a seat in the other empty chair.

"But you already cheated," Shawn whined.

"How is that?" Therese asked, pushing up to the table the other two chairs from her room.

"You put on more clothes."

"Ah, we did that before agreed, sweetie," Stephanie replied. "This way or no way."

Kevin nudged Shawn and leaned in to whisper to him. Shawn smiled and shuffled the cards. "Alright, let's lay out the rules. Five card draw. Whoever wins gets to choose who loses a piece of clothing. When you lose all of your money, you take it all off. That okay with everyone?" Shawn and Kevin passed a hungry glance at each other.

"When you explain to me what five card draw is, I do believe so," Stephanie answered.

"What are we using for money?" Kevin asked.

Therese glanced around, pulled open the mini-bar, and tossed two bags of peanuts on the table. "That work?" Everyone nodded and she quickly retrieved the two from her room.

"Alright, ante is two peanuts and the limit is ten. You eat someone else's peanuts, you forfeit a hand," Shawn stated as Stephanie ripped open the packets and began dividing them evenly.

The guys correctly explained the game while the ladies intently listened. Stephanie tried to sweet-talk her way into them allowing her to write down the hands on piece of paper to continue the charade that they didn't know what they were doing. It didn't fly. Therese knew that the game of poker wasn't exactly what hand you drew but how much you let on to the other people what hand you drew.

With the peanuts divvied up, Shawn dealt the first hand. They picked up their cards and studied them. Therese and Stephanie leaned in to each other and began whispering.

"Hey, hey, no conferring."

"Aw, come on, Shawn, we have no idea what we're doing. At least let us until we get the hang of it," Stephanie purred.

"I think we ought to give them something, Shawn," Kevin replied. He reluctantly agreed and the girls once again converged on their cards. When each of them took two more cards, they acted excited and put up only two more peanuts apiece. Shawn suppressed a giggle, matched their two and tossed in six more. After that, they folded and it was down to Kevin and Shawn who added a few more nuts to the pile. Shawn only had a pair of queens and was bluffing his way through. Kevin ended up with a pair of twos. Shawn eagerly turned to Stephanie. "Give it up, babe."

She sighed and then made a big show of taking off her sock and throwing it at him. Kevin reached for their cards and turned them over. "Steph, you had three jacks."  
"You mean I really won?"

"You would have if you'd kept going," he answered as he pulled the cards together to shuffle them.

"Oh," she demurely replied.

With the next hand, Therese ended up with two fours. They acted like it was the world and she tossed in the ten peanuts. Kevin and Shawn immediately folded. She laid them out and the both of them rolled their eyes, knowing they had better hands. "Alright, no conferring," Shawn stated before Therese picked her victim.

"Kevin…" she sheepishly smiled.

Sheepish was never a description for Therese but he complied with a snort and tossed off a shoe. "Happy?"

"I will be later when I win," she teased.

Stephanie dealt the next hand and Therese leaned over to tell her to start playing seriously and to remind her to target Shawn. _As if I need reminding about that, _she thought. "No conferring," Shawn yelled.

"We haven't even looked at our cards," Stephanie pouted.

Therese and Stephanie bluffed their way through three more hands with Therese legitimately winning another with a full house. They left Kevin hanging with one shoe and Shawn now sported bare feet. He muttered something about beginner's luck when Kevin started the next hand. The ladies passed a knowing look between each other.

The luck ran out and the hands went back and forth, although a little favored to the women. Stephanie and Therese both lost their robes, Kevin was barefoot but Shawn was now on a striptease with his shirt. Stephanie's eyes followed his every move and she licked her lips at the sight of his bare body. She wanted to run her fingers through the thick blonde hair on his chest but held herself back, knowing that in a few hands he would be minus much more.

"I don't know why y'all're ganging up on me," he whined

"It was your idea," Therese replied in a singsong voice.

"I think you're pulling something off on us," Shawn said with a serious tone and propped his elbows on the table, staring Therese down. "Do you know how to play poker?"

"I do now. That's for sure," she flippantly answered.

"Before tonight, did you know how to play poker?" he clarified, intensifying his glare.

"I've seen 'Maverick' and 'The Gambler' before. Either way, it's too late to turn back now," she answered with a crooked grin and shuffled the cards.

Shawn ran into a strand of luck and Stephanie was embarrassingly down to her shorts and bra. She was casting Therese glances that said, "This wasn't supposed to happen." The blonde ignored the looks, reveling in her mortification. She thought it only right to catch Kevin up to the other two and pulled out a few hands that brought the guys on equal grounds—jeans and underwear. Therese was practically drooling over Kevin's muscles. She quickly remembered when she had slept in the same bed with him, his broad chest supporting her as they lay side by side…

Apparently her focus had shifted and Kevin reduced her by a shirt, but he was sorely disappointed to find a camisole underneath. She grinned evilly, "Sorry."

Stephanie's mood lightened when she won the next hand and the object of her affection revealed lightly tanned skin and muscular thighs as he angrily stripped off his jeans. Forget the fact that he was mad or that she was half-naked herself, Stephanie was greedily taking it all in. In return, Shawn pulled off the next two rounds and demanded Therese lose the camisole. She tossed it aside and focused on the hand before her to put Kevin in the same predicament as Shawn. Like Kevin cared as he imagined what it would be like to run his hands over her smooth, milky skin.

The peanuts piled up between Shawn and Therese as they attempted to outdo each other. On the next hand, someone seemed bound to bare a private body part. Each person focused on their cards, only Shawn and Therese daring each other to fold with their eyes. She held her breath as the cards were laid down—Shawn had won. Therese almost felt sorry for Stephanie when Shawn stared Therese down, instead of Stephanie, and demanded that she lose something. She begrudgingly smiled but then reached down under the table whipped off a sock, tossing it in his face.

"You cheater!" Shawn exclaimed and threw the white sock back at her.

"No one ever said _which _article of clothing had to go," she maliciously grinned and pushed the cards to Stephanie for the next deal.

Now they were down to the wire. Therese had met her match in poker with Shawn Michaels, but she would be damned if she lost the next hand or, God forbid, the next two hands. On the next round, the two blondes stared each other down, making some attempt at reading each other minds. Kevin leaned over to Stephanie and said, "I don't think we exist, do you?" His intention was for the other two to hear but they were too absorbed in the game. Stephanie shook her head and sighed. "Wanna fold and see what happens between them?" he asked and popped up a peanut in his mouth.

"Why not?" They tossed in their cards and the blondes cast them a cursory glance before returning to their showdown. Shawn called it and they both hesitantly laid their hands down on the table.

"Ha!" Therese yelled, slamming her hand down on the table. "I win! Now, who's next?" Stephanie pleaded with her eyes not to be chosen. Kevin was chuckling to himself over the fact that they had been duped; Shawn Michaels, the king of poker—strip poker at that—was a strip of cloth away from losing to a woman that he was positive he could have naked in thirty minutes or less. Kevin had resigned himself to showing off his entire manly glory, but then Therese's eyes lit on Shawn. "I'd like to thank today's sponsor—" she stopped to glance under the table, "Fruit of the Loom. Mr. Michaels, sir, would you like to pass around a sample of their underwear line."

The glint in his eyes told her she may have made a mistake. His green briefs were off in an instant and two of the most uninterested people in the room of seeing Shawn naked got more than an eyeful of his anatomy as he so elegantly reminded them that he had once been a member of D-Generation X.

"Go, go!" Kevin yelled, grabbing his clothes and dragging Therese with him.

"That's what you get for cheating!" he called after them as Kevin shoved Therese into her room and slammed the door behind them.

"Don't ever incite him to do that again," Kevin panted.

"Oh, I won't. You can trust me on that. But it was well worth it," she replied.

When the laughter subsided, they locked eyes and realized how little they were wearing. Therese blushed red and immediately began digging through her suitcase. She yelped in surprise as Kevin grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. "You know, it's okay to do this kind of stuff," he whispered and descended on her mouth. She tangled her fingers in his hair and moaned when one hand found her breast. Her nipples became taut peaks as the desire rose within her and his manhood pressed against her. He trailed hot kisses down her neck and her hands loosened their hold on his neck and began to trace the muscles on his chest. He freed one breast from her bra and ran his tongue across the peak. She moaned in pleasure and grasped his bicep to steady herself. He smiled against her skin and slid a hand up her back to undo her bra.

Maybe it was the pause or maybe it was her brain finally kicking in, but she realized where this was all going. She was already teetering on the edge of being fired for her stunt with the match against Sable. Sleeping with Kevin was bound to put her one step closer or shove her off the edge. "Kevin," she whispered as his hand found the clasp. He pulled back to look at her. "I'm not ready for this."

He stared at her for a moment, digesting what exactly she had said. Watching his passion-clouded eyes clear, she almost regretted stopping him.

"Okay," he stated, running his hand through his hair and turning his back to her.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he answered, looking back at her and glancing for where he dropped his jeans after their hasty exit. "I'm not like other guys. I won't push you into something you don't want to do." He buttoned his pants and then pulled her into his arms. She nodded her head against his chest. His skin was so hot, she had to pull back.

"I should probably get my clothes from—" she started as Kevin grabbed her arm and jerked her back as she headed for the door.

"I don't think you want to go in there for the rest of the night."

"But—oh…never mind." She quickly pulled out some clothes from her suitcase. Pulling a shirt over her head, she asked, "Do you hear that?"

"What?" he asked, tying a shoelace.

"That," she pointed out when she heard what sounded like a muffled moan again. Then they both realized what it was.

"You know, there's this little diner a block away. You wanna go?" Kevin hurriedly asked.

"Yeah," she answered without missing a beat and grabbed her key and cellphone on the way to the door.

* * *

As the door shut behind Kevin and Therese, Shawn pounced on Stephanie and tossed her on the bed, straddling her. The brunette's giggles immediately ceased as he fixed his gaze on her face. She licked her lips and drew her bottom lip between her teeth. Shawn heavily sighed and began caressing her temples. She quivered at such a simple gesture, inflaming Shawn's body with desire. He slowly bent down to capture her lips with his, intent on taking things slower than the last time they were in this situation. Stephanie pulled the band that held his blonde hair back and the strands fell around them, tickling her face. 

Shawn left a hot trail across her jaw as he nibbled his way down her neck into the valley between her breasts. He paused for a moment and then nipped at the satin bra. She instinctively raised up and he reached a hand around to free the mounds of flesh. Tingles coursed throughout her as he divested her of the satin and ran a finger around one nipple. She held her breath as his tongue gently laved one then the other. Propped up by one arm, he continued to tease her breast with his mouth while his other hand snaked its way down her stomach and underneath the sapphire panties. She moaned his name as his hand found the sensitive nub.

He raised up to smile at her and then trailed kisses down her dimpled skin with goosebumps. She raised her hips as he stripped off the last bit of clothing separating them. His tongue flicked across the center of her desire and she groaned in pleasure, gripping the blanket in her fists. As his ministrations almost brought her to point of climax, he could wait no longer and returned for a kiss before plunging into her.

Stephanie cried out and he immediately withdrew. "Princess?" he asked with concern.

"Don't stop," she panted. "Oh, god, please, don't stop."

Shawn complied with her request and buried himself deeper. The sheer pleasure of being within her blocked the bite of her nails in his shoulders. Her hips met each of his thrusts with as much intensity. Just when she thought she couldn't handle the need for fulfillment, she climaxed, sending waves coursing throughout every inch of her body. Just as she came, he joined her and moaned her name with one last thrust, falling down on top of her and pinning her to the bed with his weight.

Stephanie wrapped her arms around him, not wanting him to move. Finally, he rolled over and kissed her. "It was better than I ever imagined," she whispered.

He smiled at her and replied, "It's only because you made it that way."

"I can't take much credit," she said with a blush as he brushed the tips of his fingers up and down her stomach. In return, she lightly ran her nails across his chest, running a nail around one of his nipples. When it hardened, she lightly laughed, "Maybe I'll have to do more next time to deserve that credit you give me."

Shawn shot her a sexy smile. "Well…I'm waiting." She wasted no time in returning the gratification that he had given her.

* * *

Therese took another sip of her coffee and glanced at her watch. Not that that she was impatient in wanting to get away from Kevin, but she would rather be raining on Stephanie's parade. She and Kevin had been sitting in the restaurant for hours, talking and sipping coffee, the time getting away from them. All Therese had been able to think about was the man across from her and what Stephanie had been doing. It just wasn't fair in her mind. Stephanie was having all the fun and all she could do was lust after the sexy man that sat across from her in the booth at some greasy diner. She downed the last of the coffee and obviously looked down at her watch. "It's gonna be daylight soon. Maybe we should get back and get a little sleep before you have to leave later." 

"Yeah, I think so. I bet you're so tired, that I'm surprised you're still walking. You're cheek's starting to look pretty bad," he responded and took the last bite of his cherry pie.

"I've had worse. It's no big deal. At least I don't have to make excuses. _Everybody _knows," she added with a snort.

"Let's go. I'll get the bill," he replied and slid out of the booth to help her out before they made their way up to her room. The sun was barely peaking in through the patio window as Kevin slowly kissed her. She inwardly sighed at how jealous she was of Stephanie and the word "blackmail" popped in her mind. She could work things around to where if Stephanie didn't comply with Therese getting her way then Stephanie would no longer be getting her way. She pulled Kevin down to kiss him on the cheek before they said 'goodbye' and she shut the door. She laughed to herself over her brilliant epiphany of manipulation. Stephanie wouldn't be left alone with Shawn again if she didn't agree to a way for Therese to be with Kevin.

TBC…

**

* * *

Author's Notes:** I didn't mean for this chapter to be entirely about the night after SmackDown, but it just got away from me. I'm sure some of you don't entirely mind. ;) 


	23. Making Good on Threats

**_Chapter XXIII: Making Good on Threats_**

Therese was able to catch a few hours of sleep before she was roused by the incessant ringing of her cell phone. Every part of her body hurt as she struggled to find the phone on the nightstand beside the bed. "This is Blair," she croaked out, not bothering to look at the CallerID.

"Are you okay?" an innocent, thirteen-year-old voice asked.

Therese rubbed her eyes and worked herself into a sitting position against the headboard. "Evan?"

"Yeah, it's me. I snuck away to call you. We're on break, so I've only got a few minutes. Tell me about the match," he said in a rush.

"I'm technically still employed by WWE."

"You won?"

"Yes." His sister had to hold the phone away from her ear as he let out a shout. "Don't do that," she murmured and massaged her temple.

"Tell me what happened," he pleaded, obviously a big smile on his face.

"I kicked her ass until—" Evan growled on the other end of the line. "I kicked her _butt_ until McMahon interfered and laid me out with a chair shot."

"He didn't?" Evan gasped.

"Tell that to my back," Therese complained.

"Does it hurt as bad as it looks?"

"Worse," she mumbled.

"Well, how did you get out of it?" he anxiously asked.

"John Cena, of all people, came to my rescue and then I finished Sable off."

"He's not my favorite but maybe he will be now, but I think he likes Stephanie."

"What makes you say that about him?" the blonde asked, curious as to what Cena had been saying about the GM.

"When we were hanging out, he said something about wanting to date her," he nonchalantly replied but quickly added, "I think I have to go. I just saw the coach go by."

"Call me when you get another chance. I love you."

"Love you, too. Oh, wait. Thank you for mailing the book."

"So, how much trouble is Harry Potter in now?"

"I've only read a few chapters so far, so nothing yet. I gotta go. Love you, 'bye," Evan hurried said and hung up the phone with Therese following suit. She barely struggled out of the bed and into the bathroom, every muscle aching. She scrutinized her appearance in the mirror and gingerly touched the small bruise on her cheek. Turning around and lifting up the jersey, she checked her back where the bruises where darker and crossed her entire shoulder blades. A hot bath helped loosen her joints and ease out some of the soreness in her limbs.

Therese stayed in the steaming bath until it was time to remind Stephanie of a later afternoon lunch with a possible advertiser. This was generally not the General Manager's role to meet with potential clients but, since she was in the area, she had agreed to do so at her mother's request.

Stephanie had also slept little during the night and thought, by all rights, she should have been more exhausted. However, she found herself energized and ready to take on the world. Therese looked quite the opposite with her scowl and blood-shot eyes. "Did Kevin turn you down?" she laughed with a smirk.

"No, we're not as ready to jump into bed with other people as you are," Therese retorted.

"You just didn't?"

"I just did," the blonde snapped back. Stephanie's face mirrored Therese's scowl and she spun on her heel to exit the room. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Stephanie stopped in her tracks, whirled around, and dashed at Therese, spearing her onto the bed. Therese was startled at her retaliation and was unable to deflect the punch that landed on the same exact spot as Sable's. Stephanie kneed her in the stomach before Therese was able to flip her over and pin her to the bed, holding her wrists down to her sides. Stephanie thrashed about but Therese held in her place, despite her protesting muscles. "You're no match for me and you're no match for the stalker," Therese ground out through clenched teeth, barely above a whisper. She slipped off the bed and left Stephanie to see herself out.

Pinning Stephanie down was the only ray of the light in the blonde's week. Stephanie, however, was barely touched by the tussle beyond the few moments of being angry and vowing to speak to the other woman only when necessary. She returned to her cheery attitude, much to the other woman's consternation. She sighed as she thought about the last night and began plotting when she would see him again…alone. Little did she consider that if Therese and Kevin weren't happy, she wouldn't be seeing much of Shawn.

All Stephanie could think about was her lover, which made preparation for her upcoming match a little easier. The only time her thoughts weren't centered on Shawn was while she was working out or in the practice ring. With her connections, she was able to secure a trainer that was trusted by the WWE in the area and had private use of his facility while they worked together.

Shawn had dogged her every day about going through with the match, but she would subtly hint at the next time they would be together and the conversation quickly turned. Shawn had even called Therese on a few occasions to persuade her to plead with Stephanie to bow out. Therese laughed to herself and thought, _Not__ even if you offered me enough money to put Evan through medical school._ She promised to do her best and spent all of five minutes explaining why Stephanie shouldn't step into the ring with the Big Show.

Thursday morning came and Stephanie arrived at the arena early in Rochester, New York. She wasn't feeling nervous until she stepped into the newly assembled ring and stared around at the empty seats. Therese was resting her elbows on one section of the barricade with her chin cupped in her hands, watching the workers lay down the mats, run cords, and set up the rest of the barricade. Stephanie wished she was as lucky as Therese had been when John Cena offered his help to her. Yes, she had worked with a trainer for a week, but someone—anyone—who had actually wrestled the Big Show would have been a great help at the moment.

Several of the guys in the crew were watching the GM and Therese began wondering who exactly they were dealing with when it came to the stalker. She wanted out of this working relationship _as soon as possible_. The firm had been targeting high-profile wrestlers but should they be considering any of the nameless crew? Could any of these men be capable of getting into Stephanie's office or following her without being seen? Each of them was just an average Joe and nothing stood out. They could easily melt away into a crowd and not be memorable.

Stephanie retired to her office to take care of some preliminary paperwork before making her usual rounds. Therese followed behind but now watched everyone around Stephanie and their reactions to her. Some of the men showed faces of disgust while some bowed to her every whim and she burned their appearances and reactions into her mind. Maybe this was a new way to go and immediately began a log upon their return to the office of what she could remember from their trek around the backstage.

The GM attempted to relax while taking care of the duties that the position required. She regretted making the handicap match the main event but she also knew that Zach Gowen's chance at a contract would probably draw a high rating and would be the best way to top off the show. She and Zach had spent an hour talking about the match and detailing their plans but now he was gone and work loomed before her. She rubbed a hand over her face and pulled another file folder in front of her, trying to push the thought of the match away.  
After the show started, a wild hare popped into her head and Stephanie considered just begging her father to change his mind and give Zach another way to earn his contract. After all, Stephanie may have bent to her father's every whim growing up but she also had been able to wrap him around her finger on a couple of occasions. _The things I did to him with Test and Hunter…_ she trailed off in thought but then pushed it away, reminding herself that she was a different person now. Why would it hurt to slip back into her old ways if it got her out of the match but also got Gowen a contract?

Stephanie closed the folder and glanced up at Therese, who was typing on her laptop. She considered asking her why she had suddenly taken such an interest in a computer but could really care less about the answer. "Therese, I'm going to see my father. Would you please come with me?" Their physical fight last Friday had set them on a conversational track of few words that were careful, polite phrases so that they would be a bit more persuasive than the ones they really wanted to use. In a way, it had made the relationship better since they ignored each other unless necessary, but the hate between was almost stifling, much worse than it had ever been since they had met.

Steeling herself for the worst that could happen, Stephanie entered her father's makeshift office. Why he needed an office at the arena was something beyond her since she did all the work, including what he should have been doing. Within seconds, she was slamming the door she had entered. He had refused, which she expected, but it was worth a try, even if the try was a bit dramatic. What irked her the most was he comment about not getting hurt. _What the hell else does he think will happen in a handicap match with one inexperienced wrestler and a one-legged wrestler against a freight train like the Big Show! _she angrily thought to herself. The way he had said it told her that he didn't mean one word and every bit of it was insincere, almost wishing that she would get hurt.

But her conversations were only getting worse. Stephanie allowed the camera man to see her begin to get ready for the match, thinking it might garner a little support for later on. Had she known that Sable would use the opportunity to barge in and make her day worse, she would never have let the camera anywhere near her. The Barbie doll feigned sympathy for the situation of Vince's daughter but Stephanie could see right through her and demanded for her to say what she wanted. Sable threw her hair back and smiled like the cat that ate the canary—she would take Stephanie's job if something was to happen to the GM in the match. The brunette narrowed her eyes in a look that told the bimbo to get out before she went off. Sable didn't care and sauntered out of the room.

Something about her words bothered Therese and she quickly followed her, grabbing the woman by her long hair. She dragged her over to the side where the cameraman wouldn't see them. Sable was the first to speak. "Lovely bruise you have there." It was the last physical remnants of their match from last week, enhanced by Stephanie's punch.

"Don't forget that I beat your ass to make you the ex-assistant to the General Manager."

"Don't forget that I'm sleeping with the boss," Sable purred.

"Can't sleep with him if you can't walk," Therese snarled back.

"Can't do anything to me if something happens to you or Stephanie first."

Therese pulled the woman's hair harder and jerked one of Sable's arms down and around her back. "I'm warning you. If Stephanie tries to do anything to you, I won't stop her." The security specialist pushed Sable out into the hall as Stephanie came to find out what was taking her assistant so long. Sable glared at the two of them and sauntered off, rubbing her shoulder.

When it was time, Stephanie asked Therese if she was ready to accompany her to the ring. _Doesn't matter, _the blonde sarcastically thought, _you say jump and I have to ask how high, even if you are making a fashion faux pas in that god-awful wrestling outfit. _The GM stepped out of the dressing room only to be cornered by the Big Show. He leered over her and made comments that she took to be him coming on to her. Instead of thinking of a good comeback, she skittered away. Therese glared at the Big Show and slowly followed the other woman.

Stephanie stood over to the side of the steps that led to the ramp to watch the monitor and hear what Vince had to say. He had confidently been making hints about doing in Mr. America tonight. She had to hear this. Vince started with how happy he was to be rid of Hogan months ago, but then he turned to accusing Hogan's ego of not letting him just stay at home and earn a paycheck. Now he was going to prove that Mr. America and Hogan were the same and fire both of them. The Chairman explained how he requested that the cameras keep rolling after SmackDown! went off the air and then asked for the footage to be shown.

The General Manager's heart beat faster at his words. _Did he really find out about Hogan? What am I gonna do if he did? _she thought as her legs grew weak. The replay began and Mr. America lifted his mask to reveal his face. He touched a finger to his lips to indicate that they crowd should keep the information to themselves and then the clip ended. Stephanie's stomach rolled with a wave of nausea and she reached out to the wall to steady herself. Therese stepped forward and put a hand on her side, ready to catch her if need be, and asked if she was alright. Stephanie straightened back up and nodded. She had barely heard Vince yell out that Mr. America and Hulk Hogan were fired. He was now recounting how the handicap match came to take place and added that it was now no holds barred and no disqualification. With his announcement over with, he escorted Sable to ringside and they settled in folding chairs to watch the match.

Every one of Stephanie's conversations that evening had driven her to an anger that fueled her ability to continue with the match. Now, anger didn't even begin to describe her rage. She took deep, calming breaths to settle her stomach and channel those feelings. As her music sounded, the two women parted ways. Stephanie hesitantly made her way to the ring while Therese came around the side and accepted a chair that she had placed there earlier, luckily far from Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. Zach Gowen was not far in joining the diva and the Big Show, who had already come down.

Now Stephanie was beginning to regret her decision in going through with this. The Big Show smirked at her from the corner and her stomach flip-flopped, the last thing she had eaten threatening to return. The match started and Show slapped Stephanie aside, her ears ringing from the blow. She looked up in time to see Zach thrown to mat. Forgetting all of their plans, she jumped on the hulking wrestler's back, trying to choke him, but he tossed her aside again. She was stunned a bit from the blow and missed the Big Show tearing off Zach's prosthetic leg. This hardly mattered as Zach displayed great acumen in his wrestling ability for a teenager and for his physical challenge. He wrestled valiantly to keep Stephanie from getting slammed aside, but Show was able to control him so Vince could climb into the ring to stomp on Zach.

Stephanie lost ability to think in the situation and the massive wrestler managed to wrap his meaty hand around her throat. When Vince began urging him to choke slam her, Therese decided it was time to intervene. She jumped from her chair but was pushed aside by Kurt Angle as he rushed into the ring, followed by Brock Lesnar. Therese returned to her seat, preferring to let the two bulky men take care of things. Angle executed the Angle Slam with ease and Lesnar beautifully performed the F-5 on Show. Gowen was left to handle McMahon. Zach dropkicked Vince as if it was an everyday routine and brought everyone in the house to their feet as he climbed to the top rope for a moonsault. The move was executed to perfection and the pin was counted. The victors celebrated in the ring and Therese watched from the side, careful to stay a safe distance from McMahon who seethed on the outside.

When all the antagonists had left the ring area, Stephanie invited the other three wrestlers back to her office for a celebratory drink. She had set aside the champagne for when, not if, they won. Therese declined a chilled glass from Kurt and sat down in the chair behind the desk. Stephanie's cell phone rang and Therese noticed it was Shawn. She answered the phone for her. "Stephanie McMahon's cell phone. Therese speaking," she said with a smile. Just because she hated Stephanie didn't mean she took it out on HBK.

"Hey, how's Steph?"

"Her usual stubborn self," Therese sighed.

"Can I talk to her?"

"She's attempting to open a bottle of champagne instead of letting someone else who can actually do it."

"How'd she take Hogan getting fired?" Shawn asked.

"Not well at first but she put it behind her and went out there and did her best."

"Tell her to call me when she gets done celebrating." Therese agreed and shut the phone.

Stephanie was elated over their win and wanted to share it with the other three people who had helped. When the bottle was emptied and the match recounted several times, the participants finally departed. Stephanie chose not to stick around and slipped a jogging suit over her wrestling outfit, intending to get the ring grime off when she arrived at the hotel.

Back in her room, Therese added a few more notes to her log before e-mailing it to the appropriate people at the firm. Aaron had said nothing else to her about the match with Sable but his messages were laced with hidden meaning that warned her not to do anything else that risky. The agent poured over her notes since she was not sleepy enough to turn in for the night. Something Sable said stuck with her and she was considering the real possibility of McMahon being behind the stalker's moves. Even though the suspects, in her mind, had been broadened to any of the crew, Vince's name kept popping up over and over.

Stephanie's father made it very evident during the main event that he was acting more as a sperm donor rather than a parent. Maybe he had hired a man to intimidate his daughter and throw her off track. If she wasn't at the top of her game, she could easily be knocked off her pedestal. Since the letters weren't working, maybe he had set the Big Show up to hurt her. Why, though? But, then again, they were dealing with Vince McMahon who walks over anybody that he even barely dislikes. Therese tried to remember the family's history since Stephanie had turned on her father, wandering what make him want to hurt her like this. The letters had started before she hired Hogan back as Mr. America. Sable had said that she would take Stephanie's place if something happened to her and then, in the hallway, she had threatened harm to both her and Therese. McMahon had just now moved up the list and she dashed off another e-mail detailing this to Pendleton.

* * *

For now, the best way of dealing with Hogan being fired was not to think about it. Stephanie had planned a Fourth of July celebration in Rochester the day after the show as a way of showing that she's not the cruel bitch people considered her before her return as the GM of SmackDown! No one was required to attend but all were invited, along with their families coming if the staff so chose. She did ask that everyone be on their best behavior and to leave all their problems in the ring for just this evening. 

Stephanie tired to ignore the headache that had perpetually followed her since the match while making preparations for the party. She had booked a pavilion in the park several months ago, knowing that the best places to see the fireworks would be taken. The usual Fourth of July menu would be offered and she oversaw the food arriving that afternoon. She had never grilled a hamburger in her life and Kurt Angle gladly agreed to show up early and give her a hand, which translated into "I'll do it for you."

The General Manager turned into the gracious hostess as people began to arrive. Half of the SmackDown! crew and roster came and several of them had their families flown in. The families of the few lived in New York drove out for the occasion. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, scarfing down hamburgers and hotdogs, sampling the many desserts, and actually enjoying each other's company. It was obvious that those who couldn't get along stayed far away from each other. Stephanie mingled about, not staying in one place long, while Therese's clothes soaked up smoke as she helped Kurt continue to churn out grilled hamburgers. Therese preferred it that way, preferring Kurt's company and not having to deal with all these people that she still unused to, even after two months. However, the brunette was never out of Therese's sight.

When Stephanie finally lighted in place to eat her meal, John Cena sat down beside her with his plate in hand. "Good job last night," he complimented.

"I didn't do anything. It was all Zach," she replied, glancing in the teenager's direction.

"It could have been worse and you kept that from happening. Sorry about Hogan. You got any plans about that?" he asked before taking a bite of his hamburger.

"No, I don't. I'm taking it all in stride and I'll figure it out as I go. You got any suggestions?"

"My best suggestion is that I help take your mind off of things…you and me on a date."

"John, that's so sweet," she replied, placing a hand on his arm, "but I'm terribly busy and I don't want to get in the way of you taking on Undertaker. You have to stay focused when it comes to him." She sighed to herself, wishing that Shawn could make it to keep her out of this situation, but he and Kevin both were with their respective families for the holiday. From their Cena steered the conversation in another direction and Stephanie began to enjoy his company as a friend.

As the sky began to darken, the children that were present began to get excited. "Is it time yet? Is it time yet?" they asked, dancing around their parents. Stephanie smiled at their anticipation and remembered how hard it was for her to wait for the fireworks to start. Therese had carefully noticed those who were present and made several notes in a small notebook that she kept in her pocket. With the town celebration about to begin, she knew that this would an opportune time for the stalker to strike. All lights would be extinguished and the boom of the fireworks could easily cover any noise if timed right. She kept trying to pull Stephanie away to explain this to her. When the first white starburst thundered, she jerked her by the arm and literally dragged her to the edge of the group.

Those not settled on the hill to watch quickly took their places on the grass. Stephanie accepted Therese's solution to sit in the middle of the crowd but, thinking someone might steal it, she wanted to retrieve her cell phone that she had accidentally left in the pavilion, along with her straw hat and shawl. Therese told to her to go ahead and take a seat and she would get it, but Stephanie waved her off and explained, "I'm a big girl. There hasn't been any letters for a while. Maybe he's gone away. I'm just going to get my things and you'll be with me. Besides, nothing's happened yet." She patted Therese on the arm and started off.

The blonde shook her head and followed her up part of the slope that the children had enjoyed rolling down earlier. She took some comfort in the .38 snubnose strapped to the inside of her calf beneath her loose jeans. The heat was too much to wear a coat to hide her Beretta. Stephanie squinted in the darkness, trying to find the table that she had left her things on, but her skin began to prickle and the hair on her neck stood on end. She took a step backward, feeling for Therese. She too had felt that something was wrong and threaded her arm through Stephanie's, whispering for her to be quiet.

The security specialist began to draw the brunette backward from the table and reached down to pull up her jeans leg. Her fingers closed on the weapon as the women were pushed into the wooden table and the gun skittered away into the dark. The breath was knocked out of Stephanie and she couldn't scream. She struggled to stand but the attacker slammed something hard into her head. She lost consciousness and slid down the table. Therese's elbow and shin had jammed into the table, sending pain shooting through those limbs and stunning her for a moment.

The attacker had Stephanie laid out on the bench and was turning towards Therese with something large in his hands. Therese pushed herself up from the table as he swung at her head.

TBC…

**

* * *

Author's Notes: **Once again, I don't have the needed episode of SmackDown! recorded. Please let me know if anything was wrong. Thank you to for all their wonderful reviews so far. 


	24. The Call of the Needy

**_Chapter XXIV: The Call of the Needy_**

Therese dropped down and swept his legs out from under him. Luckily for him, he fell backward onto the grass. Therese reached for her gun again but remembered it was laying somewhere in the darkness and she wouldn't be able to find it in time. The man grabbed her lowered arm and jerked her down on the ground. Instinct said to scream for help but he would run before she could get the ski mask off of his face. He struggled to pin her but she kept squirming out of his hold. He punched at her but she was able to jerk to the side and his fist met dirt. She wrapped a leg around him and pulled with all her might to upset his equilibrium and get him off of her. When she did, he wrapped an arm around her and they began to topple down another part of the slope, gaining speed as they went, unable to fight each other. They tumbled for a hundred yards down the hill where few people were gathered because of the steep incline. Those that saw them coming jumped out of the way instead of trying to stop them.

The pair hit the paved road at the bottom and rolled to the curb on the other side. Both were stunned and dizzy. Therese shook her head, trying to get her bearings back, and wobbily stood. She made a lunge for the stalker's ski mask but he jumped aside and she crashed into a parked car. Only seconds passed as the blonde righted herself from eating metal but it was enough time for the attacker to get a head start on her. She started running after him but he was too far off and too fast for her. No one was down the side street that she could call out to catch him.

As Therese made her way back to the bottom of the hill, several people gathered around and approached her. "Ma'am, are you okay?" a young man, a little taller than she, asked.

"Yeah. That idiot was trying to steal my purse," she covered.

"Did he get it?" an older woman asked and reached up with a damp handkerchief to wipe away a trickle of blood at her temple.

"No. I know who he was and I'll report him. Thanks for checking on me. I'm fine, really," she said the last part to the older woman and gently pushed away the lady's hand still dabbing at her with the white handkerchief. Therese raced up the steps leading up the side of the hill to the pavilion. Stephanie was still there, unconscious from the attacker's blow. Not even ten minutes had passed and the fireworks were still going strong and would act as a cover for her.

Therese needed to the find her gun just in case something else happened. If she turned on the pavilion lights, everyone would see Stephanie laid out. She crept away to find Kurt Angle on the edge of crowd. "Psst, Kurt."

"Therese? Yeah?"

"I need a favor. Stephanie's not feeling well and I want to take her back to the hotel but I need to borrow that little flashlight on your keys to get everything we need out of the pavilion."

"Yeah, sure," he answered and dug his keys out his pocket. "Steph gonna be okay?"

"I think it was just something she ate. Can you see that this place gets cleaned up? I'll owe you a big one," Therese explained as Kurt wound the flashlight ring through the others to get it off. She quickly took it from him, trying to not to show her impatience. "Thanks. I'll get it back to you next week."

"Don't worry about it," he said as she stood. "Just keep it. I'll take care of everything else." She nodded, thanked him, and hurried away.

Therese found the weapon and strapped it back on before hastening over to Stephanie. She shook the woman slightly and called her name. Stephanie's eyelids fluttered but she didn't move. Therese called her name a little louder and pinched her on the arm. Stephanie sat bolt right up but the pain in her head caused her to slide back down the table. "Talk to me. Are you alright?"

"What happened?" she muttered and put a hand to her forehead.

"You were attacked. But it's over. Are you okay?"

"Did you get him?" the GM asked and ran her palm around to the back of her head, wincing when her fingers found the bump that had already formed.

"Don't worry about that now. How do you feel?" Therese insistently asked.

"I'm hurting…bad," she said, sucking in her breath when her fingertips probed the knot. Her hand flew to her ribs. "Yeah, really bad."

"I'm taking you to the hospital. Come on," Therese responded and began tossing Stephanie's things into her straw hat. She helped Stephanie up and put an arm around her waist, half carrying her to the rental car.

The emergency room was crowded, taking almost a couple of hours for a doctor to see Stephanie. Even then, he ordered several tests run. Therese sat by the bed and occasionally reached over to squeeze her hand. The brunette never once complained. Finally, the conclusion was reached that Stephanie had bruised ribs and a mild concussion. The two had spent such an inordinate amount of time waiting that the physician felt Stephanie needed no more observation. However, he almost had to straddle Therese to take a look at the gash on the side of her forehead and the various scrapes.

Stephanie took the news well about the stalker getting away and said nothing harsh or condemning to Therese because he got away. Both agreed that this attack had to be by the writer of the letters, unlike the attack in the park being simply a mugger. The GM closed her eyes and bowed her head for a moment when Therese revealed that she could not identify the man. She patted the blonde on the arm and picked back up some work that she had set aside. She was not angry at Therese but only annoyed at the situation. The security specialist had done the best job possible and kept her safe from the assault. She herself had been the one to disregard the suggestion of not returning to pavilion. She had grown comfortable again with being out in the open and precaution had been the last thing on her mind. It would be no longer. Therese had possibly saved her life, definitely saved her from more bodily harm than she had sustained, and she was grateful. Maybe Stephanie would stop judging Therese and take notice of what she _had _done for her already. The woman told Shawn nothing of the incident while they talked almost every day, since it would be another week and a half before she saw him again.

Therese was aware of the change in Stephanie towards her as the injured woman took it easy for several days, per doctor's orders. She was beginning to feel protective, instead of _having _to be protective. She did what she could to help Stephanie out, feeling a little bad for her having to endure the match one day and an assault the next. She deserved for neither of those two incidents to happen to her and Therese thought that she might stop judging Stephanie and take notice of the selfless acts that she did commit.

The call to Pendleton was taken better than Therese expected. Aaron was grateful that Stephanie was fine and he was optimistic that it wouldn't be long before the stalker was caught, especially now that Therese had a general idea of the man's stature and definitely narrow down the suspects. The firm's owner took down as many details as the agent could give and pointed out some actions that Therese could take next, one suggestion being the attempt to draw out the stalker. She only said that she would run it by Stephanie.

The two women settled together on the GM's bed to watch RAW together. Therese laughed to herself, remembering the last few times they had watched it together were actually ignoring the presence of one another to watch that one desired tidbit. When Kevin jumped Test about picking on Trish, Stephanie muttered something about what could have provoked Kevin to stop him. Therese knew exactly why and explained that Test had come on to her and Nash threatened him. "Apparently, this is him getting Test for me. Not to mention, Test's been hurting women for weeks now. Remember when he got Stacy in that pumphandle slam last week?"

Stephanie nodded. "Sorry about Test bothering you. That's just not the Andrew I know. Yeah, I did him wrong and I should probably apologize. But if he did that to you and Mae and Stacy, there's no point in saying 'I'm sorry' now."

"I don't think he deserves it after what he's done." Stephanie agreed and the two cheered on Kevin.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, babe," Therese exclaimed as Kevin answered his cell phone Wednesday morning. "The big forty-four."

"You just wait to 'til you hit _forty. _I'll never let you live it down," he grumbled.

"'Thank you for the birthday wishes, sweetie,'" she mocked, attempting to mimic his deep voice. "Stephanie wants to say something, here," she said and passed off the phone.

"Happy Birthday, big man."

"Thanks, Steph."

"I've got a birthday surprise for both you and Shawn at the party," she teased.

"Knowing you, I'm sure I can't wait," he sarcastically replied.

"Here's Therese back."

"Did you open the present yet?" the blonde asked him.

"Of course not. You said I couldn't until you called."

"Go ahead," she encouraged, hardly able to wait and see what he thought.

She could hear him popping open the box and the rip of wrapping paper. "How did you find this?" he asked, staring down at a trading card sporting his individual picture from the last year he played basketball with the University of Tennessee. He flipped it over to see his stats on the other side.

"Evan…" she started but caught herself and tacked on an 's.' "…is an Internet genius. He found someone willing to trade for it."

"How did you know I can't find one of these?" he asked in disbelief.

"You said so on our first date," she replied as if it was nothing.

"I can't believe you remembered. Tell Mark I said 'thanks' and give that boy a big hug."

"No problem. So, what are you doing tonight to celebrate?" Therese asked, curious to know what he was getting into for the evening.

"Shawn's taking me out."

"Don't let him spend too much on lap dances for you."

"Would that bother you if he did?" Kevin suggestively asked.

"I'm sorry, Steph, what did you say?" Therese called out, avoiding the question. "No, I'll get it later," she said, waving Stephanie away when she appeared at the door. She screwed her face up in confusion but the blonde waved her off again. "What were you saying, Kevin?"

"Nothing," he replied and the conversation turned to how their weeks were going.

When Therese ended the call, Stephanie floated back into the room. "What was that all about?"

"I needed a distraction, so I created one," she answered, shrugging her shoulders because she didn't want to explain the truth. "Didn't you ever have your mom do that kind of stuff when some boy called that you didn't wanna talk to?"

Stephanie laughed. "Yeah, mine was that I'd run outside the house and Mom would tell them I wasn't home. Why'd you need a distraction? Come on, you can tell me." Therese related the conversation and Stephanie stifled a giggle. "What?" the blonde asked, wondering why Stephanie was laughing at her predicament.

"So what did you _want _to say?" Stephanie prodded.

"I don't know."

"Yeah, you do, but you don't want to admit it."

"Admit what?" Therese asked and began picking at her work on the table.

"You love him. Look at what you went through to get him that card," Stephanie answered, following her to the table and standing in front of her.

"Evan found it—"

"Don't lie to me. You can't hide things like that as well as you think you can. I know."

"Okay, so I have strong feelings for him," Therese replied, tossing up her hands.

"You've had strong feelings for him for some time now," Stephanie clarified and put her hands on her hips.

"Do you not understand that I can't get _that_ involved with him?"

"If you love him and he loves you, then it doesn't matter that you're a bodyguard instead of my personal assistant," Stephanie answered, picking up some of the papers and waving them at her.

"Security specialist," Therese corrected.

"Sorry. Do you not see where I'm going with this?"

"Yeah," the _specialist_ sighed in response, thinking about Kevin's comment of returning the birthday wishes when she was forty. _Does he want me for that long? _she thought. "I'll think about it."

* * *

By the time the next edition of SmackDown! rolled around, Stephanie was feeling much better. Her head and ribs still hurt if she exerted too much energy, but she wasn't getting as tired anymore. The GM delegated as many of her tasks as possible and balked when Therese insisted that she go on her rounds anyway so that Therese could scope out the staff again. Stephanie hadn't felt terrified about going out in weeks but now it seemed to be creeping back in. Therese had explained that they couldn't catch the stalker if he didn't make himself known. By her holing up, he would never come out. Thinking about that, she agreed but was never a few inches away Therese.

However, after the show started, something snapped in her when Vince McMahon interrupted Zach Gowen's contract signing in the ring and, since Zach technically worked for him, the teenager would be competing in his first match against none other than the Chairman of WWE. Stephanie couldn't believe the man had the guts to put Zach in that match but was shocked out of her stunned reverie when the clipboard holding the guy's contract connected with her face, sending her down to the red carpeted mat. The headache she had been battling for a week suddenly came back but the physical pain hardly matched the overwhelming anger that was building up in her.

Therese knew 'pissed' didn't even begin to describe how Stephanie was feeling when the woman marched herself back to her office, popped a few pain killers, and said nothing as she attacked her work as if it was Sable. Usually, Stephanie had to let off steam in the form of verbal tirades, but this silence said so much more. However, Therese didn't know that the GM was angry enough to hunt the troublemaker down.

The brunette scrawled her name across a paper, slammed the pen down, and stood up. "I'm going after Sable now. I know your job is to protect me from the stalker and not Sable. I do _not_ want you to interfere. Just make sure I get there and back safe." Therese blinked at her in surprise and nodded. She said nothing as she followed the GM through the backstage area.

When Stephanie was able to confirm that Sable was in McMahon's office, she shook back her ponytail and threw open the door without knocking. Therese was amazed at how the woman was able to dash across the office in those heels, but the GM did, letting out a war cry, and speared Sable across the couch in the room. Stephanie was a wild woman, unleashing her fury on Sable and attempting to choke her. Vince dragged Stephanie off the blonde and shoved her at Therese. The agent caught her and decided it best to hold her back while McMahon yelled at her.

"You wanna fight? I got an idea. It won't just be me and Zach at Vengeance. No, you know what? You're gonna fight Sable!" That was good enough for Stephanie at the present and allowed Therese to pull her away from Vince's office. She straightened her posture and attempted to walk calmly back to her own office. Her hands were shaking and her knees were barely holding up as she continued to see red.

"Steph?" Therese said and the brunette stopped as she was about to sit down in her chair. "You've got one those black feathers from Sable's dress in your hair." She reached up a hand and smoothed it over her ponytail, her nail catching the feather. She pulled it out and snickered. Therese let out a giggle, walked over to take the feather from her, and threw it out the door instead of dropping it in the garbage can. Before the two knew it, they were laughing uncontrollably. Each time they were almost able to contain themselves, one of them would snort and the laughter would start all over again.

Finally, Stephanie choked out between laughs, "This hurts my ribs too much. We have to quit." Therese poured them each a glass of water and they forced themselves to drink it, effectively ended the insanity. "What were we laughing about anyhow?"

"You know, I don't know."

Stephanie stifled a giggle and replied, "I don't either."

Therese glanced down at her watch. "It's almost time to go. Are you ready?" she asked and worked her tired jaw around to loosen it up from laughing so hard. Stephanie rubbed her cheeks as she gathered her things together.

* * *

Most of the RAW roster present had gathered in the parking lot and a few were dictating who was riding with whom to Shawn and Kevin's birthday party. Many thought it ironic that the two best friends had birthdays less than two weeks apart, but they didn't care. After the so many problems with Stone Cold and Bischoff and Kane setting fire to Jim Ross, the RAW roster needed an outlet. It had been forever since the Shawn and Kevin were together anywhere near their birthdays and any party thrown for those two was bound to be the event of the year. Stephanie had been able to find a friend of a friend _willing _to host the affair on their nine acre property on the outskirts of town. The only way the police would be called was if someone there called.

Therese wanted to cancel the party, or at least cancel her and Stephanie's presence, because of the attack. The place would be an opportune time for the stalker to carry out his wishes. But, they had been planning this before the assault and she wouldn't dare disappoint the guys. Not to mention that she had plans to present Kevin with another birthday gift. However, she had to keep Stephanie safe during the party and when they would be separated later in the night.

It wasn't long before the music was blaring, the younger wrestlers were dancing, the bonfire was roaring, and the alcohol was being passed freely. Kevin dragged Therese around to meet everyone but it wasn't quite the same with Stephanie. She felt as if everyone was staring her down since she was of the SmackDown! persuasion, thinking that she was there to get dirt on RAW. That wasn't mentioning that this was Stephanie's and Shawn's first public appearance together. She began to relax a little as people came by with birthday wishes for Shawn and she was treated as one of them by most.

The party was not so much a gift as the coming of something—or someone—else. When the look-out came running, Stephanie pulled the two of the guys together while Therese went out to meet the new arrival. "It's finally good to meet you after all of our phone conversations," she said, shaking his hand. "They have no clue. Come on." She led the way through the house while everyone in their path turned to watch them go by. Peeking out the backdoor to see Kevin and Shawn standing side by side with their eyes closed, Therese led the man outside.

"Okay, guys, you can open them now," Stephanie said.

"Scott!" they both shouted and rushed Scott Hall for a hug.

Therese winked at Stephanie and mouthed, "Good idea." Before the two women realized it, they were swept up in a hug of gratitude. Stephanie waved the guys off, telling them to hang out with Scott. The three stood beside the bonfire and caught up with each other for a while. The women left them alone to check on the drinks, ice, and whatnot.

Therese avoided drinking until Kevin insisted he bring her something. She finally agreed and asked for a beer. He laughed to himself, wondering how this woman could have possibly come to be best friends with the classy priss Stephanie McMahon…not that there was anything wrong with Stephanie. He handed it to her and settled down beside her on a couch that had been taken from the house and set outside. Shawn and Scott clicked their bottles against Kevin's fresh one and the taller man put an arm around Therese and pulled her closer.

"Thanks so much for getting Scott here."

"You're so welcome," she replied and kissed him. "I'm just glad that he can stay for a few days, especially since we can't."

He took a swig from his bottle and asked, "Having a good time?"

"Yeah. You?"

"It's my party, of course. Albeit, it's a little more toned down than usual. I guess that has to do with Scott staying sober this time."

"Not that you're getting too old for this, huh?" she baited him.

He tickled her in the side and her beer spilled across her jeans. "Damn," she muttered, attempting to wipe away the liquid that hadn't seeped into her clothes.

"We'll have to get you out of those," he suggestively said.

"I don't have anything here and your party's not over."

"It won't be over until dawn," Kevin laughed.

"Well, I guess I should go back to the hotel and change. Do you need to come with me?" Therese asked with a sexy smile.

The surprised look on his face was golden. "Um, okay, yeah."

"Let me tell Stephanie 'goodbye.'" The brunette was cuddled up with Shawn on a patio loveseat beside them on the lawn. Therese waved off HBK and scooted across the couch while Kevin was talking to Scott on the other side of them. "I'm leaving," she said with a wink.

"I don't want you to go," Stephanie pleaded, attempting not to whine.

"Stephanie, we agreed that I'd get some time alone with Kevin."

"I know, but I don't want to be left alone here."

"You've got Shawn _and _you've still got my .38." Therese paused and added, "You still have my gun, right?"

"Yeah," the brunette replied and patted the purse slung across her shoulders.

"If I don't get time with Kevin, you don't get time with Shawn. I _am _supposed to be at your side every waking hour."

"Okay," the GM sighed.

"My door will be shut in case you need to bring anyone back to your room," Therese hinted with a smile and squeezed Stephanie's hand before standing up.

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, both alone with their thoughts of how to make the first move. Kevin reached over the cab of the truck to hold her hand. She shivered at the thought of what they could be doing tonight. She didn't want to seem too needy but she wanted to take the opportunity that was being afforded.

Kevin shut the door behind them and tossed his keys on the dresser. "I stink like beer. I'm going to get a shower before I change," she stated, leaving the ball in his court. He nodded and she pushed the bathroom door to without latching it. The necessary washing was quickly taken care of and she wrapped the towel around her before stepping out in her room. He had taken his tennis shoes off and was lounged out on the bed, flipping through her hockey edition of Sports Illustrated. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to find her.

Therese padded across the room, leaving behind a trail of freesia. Kevin didn't have a clue what the scent was but it was always on her. He glanced up to see her pulling open a drawer, the towel slipping a little, and her hair pinned up with tiny tendrils around her neck that were damp. He felt himself harden just at the sight and he slipped off the bed. "You've taken the fun out of things."

"What's that?" she asked, trying to sound innocent, but knew full well that she had set him up for this.

"There's nothing for me to do," he replied and deftly whipped the towel from her body. Goosebumps rose up over every bit of her skin.

"There's still plenty for you to do," she smiled and pulled his head down to kiss him. He pulled the clip from her hair and ran his fingers through the tresses as they fell to just above her shoulder blades. His hands began to roam across her back and shoulders as she refused to release his lips. Finally they drew apart to catch their breath and Kevin scooped her up in his arms to carry her the few paces to the bed. He carefully laid her down before quickly divesting himself of all of his clothes but his briefs. She wagged a finger at him when he placed one knee on the bed to come back to her. She raised up and tugged at the underwear, helping him remove them.

Therese's eyes raked over him and it was as if her own golden-haired, golden-eyed Adonis had stepped out of the history of mythology just for her. He pushed her back on the pillow and hungrily took in every bit of her nakedness. He had wanted this for so long and, now that he had her, he forced himself to slow down. Therese couldn't stand the waiting and pushed him down to the bed. Her hands explored every inch of his body, followed by her lips and tongue. She smiled against his skin each time he would moan. His hands had a death grip on the sheets and she uncurled them from the cloth to twine their hands together. He pulled her to him to capture her mouth in a deep kiss that left her panting. But the panting didn't stop there as he pinned her to the bed and returned the favor.

He lavished careful attention on each breast, so much so that they ached for his return when his hot mouth trailed down her stomach. She bit into her lip and tasted blood as Kevin's tongue found that one spot at the apex of her thighs. The desire building up in her was more than she could take and she whimpered his name, reaching for him. He came back up to her and smothered her face and neck in kisses as he nudged a knee between her thighs. She held her breath in anticipation and exhaled a moan as he carefully slid in. She matched his rhythm with a needful one of her own. Each thrust brought them closer and closer and they couldn't get enough of each other. Finally, the waves crashed down around them and they lay together satiated. She snuggled on her side against him, her head on his shoulder and her leg wrapped around his. His fingers absentmindedly played in his hair and he whispered in her ear, "I love you."

"Is that pillow talk for great sex or do you really mean…" she trailed off, raising up to look at him.

"No, I mean it. I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied. He grinned a smile of relief and pulled her down for a kiss.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Shawn and Stephanie were stripping off clothes and tossing them aside so fast that it looked like a tornado had come through. Foreplay wasn't a concern as both of them had been thinking only about this moment all day. They had been ready since Stephanie's plane touched down that morning and planned to use every second of fulfilling the fantasies that they had built up in the two and a half weeks that they had been apart.

TBC…


	25. Downgraded to Catering

**_Chapter XXV: Downgraded to Catering_**

Early Thursday evening in Columbus, Ohio, Stephanie sat at her desk and doodled flowers and hearts across a sheet of paper on a legal pad. All of her work was caught up with, except for what could only be done in the progression of the night. She had thrown herself in her job to try to take her mind off of how much she was missing Shawn Michaels. The heartbreaker had kissed her good morning and apologized for leaving so early to meet Scott Hall for breakfast. She had dismissed the apology since she had made it possible for him and Kevin to spend the next few days with Scott.

Therese was no different as she stared blankly at the wall, her stomach attempting to digest the butterflies that had Kevin's name written all over them. Her doubts that she loved him were gone and she never gave another thought to the fact that he was not in love with her but with what she had projected as Stephanie's assistant. The blonde was currently lost in their last morning together after what could have been called their first fight. Kevin had asked her the previous night about how she had gotten the cut on her face and she muttered something about another scuffle with Sable. Being at the party, he didn't tell her what he had wanted. While she was checking out the new scar in the mirror in the morning, he told her, as nicely as such a big, gruff guy could, that she shouldn't be fighting Stephanie's battle and should just leave Sable alone. Words were exchanged and then they made up with one another, especially to each other's delight.

The alarm of Stephanie's phone went off, reminding her it was time to make her rounds to ensure the smooth running of the show. Therese snapped out of her reverie to accompany the GM. Her eyes were peeled and mental notes were made. Stephanie still barely ventured more than a few feet from her security specialist. She clasped her hands tightly behind her back, turning to watch Therese as the blonde paced inside the circle of arena security. Stephanie admired the woman in her element as she confidently carried herself as their boss and carefully chose her words about the reason any suspicious action from men matching a particular description should be reported to her. The staff suspects were now narrowed down to five men who worked as stagehands but she would not give any names yet.

The show began with a Vince McMahon tirade. Now his focus was turned to Kurt Angle being barred from helping out Brock Lesnar in his match. At the mention of his name, Lesnar came out and basically challenged his boss to a match. Surprisingly, McMahon accepted but for another night. Stephanie had been searching her mind for days as to how to respond to Hulk Hogan being fired. Now that it seemed McMahon was concerned about other things than Mr. America, maybe she wouldn't have to do anything about him. The GM scratched Hogan off her list and turned her attention to Sable. She took Therese with her to hunt the woman down. If she didn't confront her before Vengeance, it would look like she was running away instead of standing up to defend herself. By the end of the first match, her opponent was nowhere to be found.

Returning to her office, Stephanie found Vince in her chair with his feet propped up on her desk and using her phone. She purposefully strolled over and glared down at him until he hung up the phone and stood. The GM immediately started in on Sable's whereabouts. McMahon said that she was being kept somewhere to protect Stephanie and then he presented her with what he called a peace offering from Sable—a box of Midol. The brunette jerked it from his hand with a 'go to hell' stare and stalked off.

Therese said nothing and followed her out the door to find a makeshift office. John Cena watched them pass by but didn't stop them. He was upset with Stephanie for not telling him the truth. The rumor had quickly spread around the backstage about her and Shawn's relationship. He decided that if the bad boy kind of guy was what she wanted, he would treat her that way instead of attempting the wining and dining approach.

The GM was able to locate a vacant room and then had the crew set up a monitor. Borrowing the small notepad that Therese carried in her pocket, she returned to making lists and carrying on what business she could. When her father's music sounded from the television, the brunette jumped up from the desk. "The office is empty, let's go," she exclaimed and literally dragged Therese from her seat and down the hall.

In _her _office, Stephanie turned up the sound on the television and the two women began packing up their things as quickly as possible. McMahon threw out some threats and stupidly pointed out that Sable was in the Presidential Skybox to keep Stephanie safe since Sable was such a hellcat, vixen, and predator. Vince's next subject was Gowen and the GM regretted not being able to help him much more now that the young man's boss was indeed McMahon. If she could get beyond this mess with her father's mistress, then she would do what was possible to offer some aid to Zach.

Picking up the box of Midol Sable had left with McMahon, Stephanie felt an immediate desire to confront her now that she knew the woman's location. The bitch had watched the entirety of SmackDown! to this point from the luxury seating, guarded by two members of security that Therese had not seen. Therese stopped Stephanie at the corner of the hallway and advanced on the men. "Excuse me, gentleman. I'm the assistant to the Vice President of the Nationwide Arena. It's seems that you two are possibly out of place. Have you checked with Therese Blair about this?"

Both the men looked over at each and then one spoke. "We've been warned about her and we don't take orders from her. Only Mr. McMahon."

"Ah, I see. So, what _are _you orders?"

"No one is allowed into the Presidential Skybox except for Miss Sable, Mr. McMahon, and the hospitality staff."

"Thank you, gentlemen. You've done a fine job," Therese said with a bob of her head. "The Vice President will be glad to know that you take orders so well."

Stephanie had stayed out of sight but kept her eyes peeled for anyone else since she didn't have her security agent watching for her. Because of that, she missed everything that had passed between her and the guards. When Therese explained, the light bulb over her head almost blew from the brilliant idea that hit. The blonde didn't have to ask because she was thinking the same thing.

Part of Therese's job was to know the lay-out of the arenas. She contacted each one over a week in advance so she could receive a blue-print of the forum and plan her security in advance. She led Stephanie away through some corridors and then doubled back on herself by another means, ending up at the entrance to the main area of hospitality. Several women were scrambling around with the catering, all dressed in black pants, a white shirt, and a black and gold checked vest. Stephanie sized up the women and then pointed one out. "She'll do."

Therese caught the woman and pulled her aside to Stephanie. "If you will let me have your outfit, I will offer you more money than you make in three months."

The dark-skinned woman's eyes lit up but then her face dropped. "I will be fired if I don't have on my uniform."

"You tell me who your boss is and I will take care of everything. Take the night off and enjoy yourself," she smiled and Stephanie looked over at Therese to whisper, "Write her a check now."

"I don't have your checkbook."

"But you have yours. I will give it back to you later tonight." Stephanie turned back to the woman. "Is there somewhere we can go to change?" Not long after, Stephanie was dressed as one of the staff of the arena's hospitality. She stood in front of the mirror and laughed, "Choker on or choker off?"

"Without knowing that's a uniform, that really looks good on you. I'd stay with the choker, makes it look classy, but why are you asking the advice of a woman who doesn't wear pink?"

"Sorry I said that," she said apologetically.

"Because of that, I'll wear it the next time I see Kevin," she defiantly replied but then broke out into a smile. "Which will be God knows when."

"It's less than two weeks. We can make it. Now, I have a little bit of vengeance to exact."

Stephanie casually passed through the main room of catering, her head slightly down, and winded her way through the back halls to Sable's skybox. Therese was stopped by a man similarly dressed as the staff and asked what she was doing there. "Oh, I'm the Vice President's assistant and I was asked to walk through hospitality and see how things were going. So far, so good," she smiled and strolled on.

The skybox had two entrances, one guarded by security and the other for the catering. The men in yellow shirts had no clue that Stephanie had just entered the other door where Josh Matthews was interviewing her opponent for Vengeance. She was at Sable's side with the glass of wine but moved to stand in front of her. "Here's your wine, Sable," she said with malice and poured the glass over her head. The blonde was aghast at her actions and pushed the GM over an arm chair, sparking a cat fight. Therese watched from the foyer of the box, leaving Stephanie up to whatever she desired, as the women fought at each other like schoolgirls. Throughout the entire fight, she wanted to yell at Stephanie to wrestle, to fight back like a real woman. Sable hoisted Stephanie up onto the food bar and proceeded to cover the brunette in food. Matthews attempted to intervene but received a slap across the face from Sable. When she turned around, Stephanie grabbed her by the neck, threw her down, and smeared the leftover food on the blonde.

Therese's phone rang again and the ID registered the same number. "This is Blair," she whispered and turned away.

"Why aren't you stopping her?" Aaron Pendleton yelled at her.

Josh Matthews stumbled by an unaware Therese still on the phone explaining the situation and alerted the two members of security to what was going on. They rushed in and both pulled Stephanie away from Sable. Sable continued to attack Stephanie and they couldn't get her out of the room, so one let go of the GM to hold the blonde back.

When Therese heard the men in the room, she hung up on Pendleton and then rushed to push the security guard out of the way, pulling Stephanie away herself. The brunette struggled against her and she yelled, "Stephanie Marie McMahon, stop it now!" Stephanie's eyes went wide and she straightened her posture. "Look at you. Stop it now."

Now that Stephanie had quit trying to get at Sable, the guards let go of her and she dashed at the two women. Therese kneed her in the stomach and flipped her over in a snapmare. Stephanie darted at the prone woman but Therese stepped in the way, her back to the charging woman. Stephanie pivoted around her but Therese was too quick. She backed her into a corner, still facing the guards. "Get that woman out of here. You may think you don't take orders from Therese Blair…" She let the words sink in, where they registered on the men's faces. "That's right. You told me exactly how to get Stephanie in here." She shifted again and squashed the woman back in the corner as gently as possible, which wasn't exactly gentle. "If you don't get her out of here, I _will _let Stephanie go and you'll have to tell McMahon why the two of us beat his precious bitch black and blue."

Stephanie slid down the wall and attempted to slide around the blonde's leg. Therese slid down with, pushing her into the suffocating corner where she could barely even twitch. The agent didn't move, even after Sable had left the room. Stephanie had finally stopped struggling and whimpered, "Can I go now?"

"Are you done acting like a little kid?"

"Yes," the brunette sniveled.

"Are you mad at me for holding you back?" Therese asked, still unmoving.

"No," the GM sighed.

"Promise not to do anything to me?"

"Yes," Stephanie quietly answered and Therese moved away. "I know, I know. I'm a grown woman who should act like it." They walked away together, one arm around the other and Therese covered in half the food that had adorned Stephanie.

They found the now deserted women's locker. "Oh, wise one, who has now realized her great mistake, what do I do know?" Therese joked as she looked at herself in the mirror and brushed off what she thought might have been cake at one time. "At least you have your clothes you changed out of."

"Just get in the shower and get that mess out of your hair," she replied, toweling her own dry. "I'll find something."

"Don't go out of this room."

"I don't have to because I've got my cell phone."

As Therese stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, a knock sounded at the door. Stephanie set down her brush to answer it. "I'll get it," Therese said, wrapping the towel tighter and picking up her Beretta. "Who is it?"

"Kurt."

"Kurt Angle?" she whispered to Stephanie.

"I told you I would get you something," she answered. Therese shook her head and undid the dead bolt to open the door to the wrestler still wearing his ring gear.

"Someone told me you were in need of a bit of help," he said and held out his warm-ups.

Therese had no choice and took them from him. "Thanks, Kurt. I owe you so much I'll never be able to repay you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that Stephanie's got a friend like you to help her out. See you next week," he said and waved at the brunette inside.

Therese pushed the door to and turned around, holding up the warm-ups. "There is no way I'm going commando in these. Well," she sighed, "Team Angle, here I come."

* * *

As Shawn and Kevin were flying to Los Angeles, California, Stephanie and Therese were flying the other way to Stamford, Connecticut. Linda McMahon had some major business on RAW, dealing with Eric Bischoff's demand that Steve Austin be fired. She would be out there two days and had scheduled business meetings all day on Monday before knowing that her presence was required on the Monday show. Linda couldn't cancel the meetings but couldn't be there either, so she called Stephanie to ask her to sit in on them and take care of her business. The GM of SmackDown! saw this as an opportunity to return home and was now making the trek.

It was late in the evening before Stephanie could call Shawn to wish him a 'happy birthday.' She did the same with him that Therese had done with Kevin and gave him permission to open up his presents, but the largest one first. "That's backward. You open the smallest one first."

"Just do it," she ordered and then listened to the sound of paper ripping. "I noticed that the last time you were beating up on Triple H, you lost yours," she explained as he admired the expensive watch. "What exactly do you get the guy that has everything?"

"I don't have you," he suggestively replied.

"I don't know about that. Open the next one." Shawn lightly laughed as he pulled out a lacy, see-through negligee. "You bring that the next we see each other and I'll definitely bring myself."

"You've got it, princess," he sexily growled. Unfortunately RAW was about to start, so Shawn made a few bedroom promises and they hung up.

The two women settled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn to watch the show. They laughed as Linda put Eric Bischoff in his place and Stephanie was already mentally writing him a sympathy letter. Of course, HBK's match was intense and they verbally added their thoughts when Flair and Orton interfered, which eventually led to him losing the match.

RVD and Kane's match began, Stephanie asked, "What do you think of Rob Van Dam? Think I should steal him from RAW?"

"Why not? Evan would love it if you brought him over."

They discussed the pros and cons of signing the limber wrestler but stopped in dead silence as Linda McMahon unwisely appeared on the ramp. She seemed to have come out to persuade Kane to stop his assault on RVD. Stephanie yelled at Kane to leave her mother alone but, after a failed attempt to stop him by Lawler, the Big Red Machine dropped Linda onto the stage in a piledriver.

"I have go to her. We have to…go pack while I call…" Stephanie seemed to go in a thousand directions.

Therese took hold of her the shoulders. "Go pack and I'll get us a flight."

* * *

By the time the plane landed and Shawn and Kevin picked them up at the airport, Stephanie's mother was in a private hospital room guarded by two police officers. Therese went in with her but stayed at the door in the shadows. Stephanie stood beside the bed and took Linda's hand in her own, stroking her mother's forehead. After a few moments, the brunette pulled up one of the chairs to the bed and sat down, taking the older woman's hand in hers again. The door swung open and missed Therese by centimeters. Shane McMahon rushed in and Stephanie enveloped him in a hug. He dragged the other chair to where Stephanie's was situated and they sat together. Therese stepped forward and placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder. "I'll be in the waiting room with Shawn and Kevin. Call me on my cell phone and I'll come get you when you're ready to leave if Shane's not here."

"Thanks," she whispered and squeezed the other woman's hand.

Therese left strict instructions with the police officers regarding Stephanie's safety and then found Kevin and Shawn in the waiting room quietly talking. She cuddled up in Kevin's lap and laid her head on his chest. He stroked her hair and, after a few moments, she slipped off into the chair beside him. "Sorry your birthday turned out so bad," she whispered to Shawn and leaned her head against Kevin's shoulder before she drifted off to sleep.

Stephanie was asleep also, her head lolled sideways on the back of the chair. She suddenly woke, thinking she had heard her mother call her name. Her watch told her that she had been there for a few hours. "Steph," the voice from her dream croaked. Her head jerked up to see Linda mouth her name again.

"Momma," she breathed and sat down on the side of her mother's bed.

"Water, please," Linda hoarsely whispered. Stephanie quickly poured her a cup and helped her drink it since she was in a neck brace. "I'll be fine, baby. You don't have to stay here," she said, her voice coming easier now.

"I want to be here. I want to make sure you're alright," the daughter pleaded.

"I am. I want you to go find a bed and get some sleep."

"But—"

"No, buts. Wake up Shane so I can send him out too," her mother interrupted and added a weak smile.

* * *

Linda was released from the hospital two days later with a good prognosis. Stephanie and Shane left her bedside long enough to eat and catch a few hours of sleep. The guys stayed around the extra couple of days but the ladies sent them packing, knowing that Shawn was missing promised time with his family and Kevin was spending his few days off with them. That was not counting that they only seemed to see them at meal times.

Both siblings were livid at what Kane did and Stephanie was planning to make his life hell. Shane was adamant that Stephanie was to do nothing but concentrate on acting as a general manager. He himself was going to take care of Kane. "You have a wife to worry about. You can't do that," Stephanie ordered.

"'Rissa's already told me I could return to the ring."

Stephanie glared at him and replied, "I don't like it but, if she says so, I guess I don't have a choice. Give me a hug and get Mom back home safe okay."

"You stay safe too," he said, then hesitantly started again. "There's something you need to know. Someone told me something about Shawn Michaels and, well, you should know that he was at a strip club last Sunday night and was quite enjoying himself." Stephanie stared at him with a confused face. "I called the club to see if…this person was lying and they weren't. I'm sorry to tell you, but I don't want my sister dating someone that gets his kicks at a topless bar."

"Thanks, Shane," she replied, not knowing what else to say. He hugged her and then shook Therese's hand, thanking her for taking care of his sister. Neither of them had told him about the attack on the fourth of the July. He waited until they disappeared inside the airport before leaving. They had also discussed whether they should fly and deal with the hassles that came with that or make the six-hour drive. The flight won out.

As soon as Shane was out of earshot, Stephanie spilled the beans. Therese was amazed at how stone-faced the woman was as she explained what he had told her. She didn't want to talk to Shawn until she felt she could confront him and made Therese promise not to say a word to Kevin. The blonde didn't know how she was going to do it but agreed, but not before protesting. "Maybe somebody took him to the club for his birthday as a joke."

"If they did, he still enjoyed it more than he should," she replied and kept walking.

"Are you sure you don't want me to found out what happened from Kevin?" Therese asked, catching up with her.

"He was probably encouraging him," the brunette flippantly answered. The other woman didn't bother to respond and nothing else was said again until SmackDown!

Stephanie believed it best to start off the Fresno edition with a statement by the GM herself. Kane needed to see that she was still strong and he couldn't get to her family. Sable needed to see that Stephanie was not intimidated despite their regression into teenage girls. She took off her matching blue jacket and laid it across the chair. After checking her hair and make-up in a compact, she said to Therese, "Let's go do this again."

Stephanie took a stroll around the ring a couple of times before beginning. "Well, it's been a pretty tough week but I'm gonna try not to let my personal life affect business. And since my father is where he should be, taking care of my mother, tonight I'm taking _back_ SmackDown!" The part about her father was not a lie that she knew of. Shane had called last night to let her know that Vince was indeed at the house but revealed no more. His daughter blindly assumed that maybe he still had _some _feelings left for his wife. She then announced the six-man main event to make up for Vince's lop-sided ones. She followed with a warning to Sable about her Vengeance match and told her that she would treat her like the bitch she was.

John Cena's music then blasted from the sound system and Mr. Thuganomics strutted down to the ring. He apologized for interrupting before making a several rhymes about her body, Freudian slips everywhere. Stephanie would normally have been angry at his comments, but, since he had been trying to get her to go out with him, she was quite taken with this new approach. She was pissed at Shawn and jealous, even though she would hardly admit the jealousy. So when Cena asked if he could smack her ass, she asked him if he was serious. "Hell, yeah," he responded.

"You wanna put your money where you mouth is?"

He looked shocked at her words. "Are you serious?" he croaked out.

"Do it. I dare you," she answered, thinking to herself about this was hopefully making Shawn jealous. Cena almost couldn't believe this was happening. She turned around and stuck her butt out. With a little boy's glee, he popped her across one cheek.

But then it was all quickly over as Sable's music came on over the speakers. The blonde bimbo didn't bother to come to ring and her image was on the Titantron. She threw out some insults before calling for the footage of the food/catfight to be replayed. After the clip, Sable then brought up what happened to Stephanie's mother. "You take care of you mother," she said and brushing her hair back across her shoulders, "because I'll be taking special care of your daddy." That comment sent Stephanie's anger sky-high.

"Don't talk about—" she started.

Sable railroaded over what the GM was about to say. "You know where I am, Stephanie, and you don't have to wait 'til Vengeance. If you want a piece of Sable, you come get some."

Stephanie threw down her microphone and stormed out the ring and into the backstage. She had almost attacked Torrie Wilson before she realized that the blonde hair didn't belong to Sable. She continued stalking on, calling the other woman's name. It wasn't until after the first match that she found her waiting in the parking lot by a limousine. Stephanie charged after her, slamming Sable's head into the dark window and then throwing her on the trunk. The blonde woman kicked her off and dashed for the car door. Stephanie grabbed at her, ripping her shirt and throwing her down to the ground. When Sable made for the door, she reached for her again, this time the shirt coming completely off and baring her breasts for the arena and television audience to see. She made it into the limo and the GM pounded on the door, screaming, "Let me in."

Then Stephanie noticed a metal pipe sticking out of a trash bin. She reared back for a baseball swing but Vince McMahon jumped in front of her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What the hell are you doing? You supposed to be at home taking care of your wife, my mother," she shouted at him.

"I don't answer to you and I sure as hell don't answer to your mother, okay? You should have one thing on your mind and that's your match with Sable at Vengeance. Because if you're not careful, you're going to wind up incapacitated just like your mother." Vince stalked away and Stephanie threw the pipe in the other direction and screamed at him.

Therese had followed her every step, staying out of the way but being close enough to come to the rescue. With everyone having deserted the parking lot, she persuaded Stephanie to go back to her office and calm down. The GM proudly held up her head as she made her way back. Stephanie opened the door to Vince flipping through some of her official papers on the desk. Therese could see the spark in her eyes before she rushed at her father. McMahon backhanded her, sending her flying. Therese was slamming the door shut and locking it to keep out the cameraperson on the other side and she didn't catch Stephanie before the woman hit the wall. Vince slowly advanced towards her and Therese was finally through with his crap. She was be damned if he hit her again.

TBC…


	26. Who Can You Count On?

**Author's Notes: **The first part of this is for a promise I made to Shannon1979 in Chapter XXII.

**_Chapter XXVI: Who Can You Count On?_**

Therese stepped between Stephanie and her father but Vince ordered her out of the way. She steeled herself and slowly replied, "What are you going to do? Hit me too."

"You got it," he evilly smiled and slapped her. With that out of the way, she punched at him but he deflected the blow. She threw a few more to distract him before she kicked him in the knee and then in the stomach. He doubled over and she shoved him towards the desk. Stephanie watched in awe as the other woman leveled him with a kick to the face when he straightened up from tumbling over the desk and then another to the back of his head to be sure he wasn't getting up.

Therese bent over to where he lay on the floor, struggling to get up. She sweetly smiled and said, "Report me and I'll claim self-defense. _You _did hit me first." She stood back up and turned around. "Do you need your office, Miss McMahon?" The GM nodded and Therese stared down at Vince. "I am a distant relative of a crime boss. I wouldn't attempt anything because he won't stop where I did. Now, pick yourself up and get out of this room."

Vince was still reeling from the fact that a woman had just kicked his ass. As he stood, he thought about how he would get her back, crime boss or not. "When I'm done with Zach Gowen, I _will _come after you," he growled, pointing a finger at her.

"Please do," she replied with a self-satisfied smiled as the door slammed shut.

"Are you really kin to a crime boss?" Stephanie asked, rubbing her cheek from where he had hit her.

"No, but he doesn't know that," she laughed and the other woman joined her.

"How are you going to handle him?" Stephanie asked, sitting down at her desk.

"I don't plan on it because I have an idea that I want to run by you. What if we tried to lure the stalker out?" Therese asked as the brunette checked the papers on her desk.

"But that means I would have to be alone and risk the chance…" she trailed off as she opened a card that she pulled from an envelope. "It's from the stalker but this one's different," she whispered and held out the card, the paper rattling from her trembling hand.

Therese took it from her and read over it. The message written inside was a simple sympathy note at first but then took a turn about how the author could make it better in a sexual sense. "We have to draw him out," Therese resolutely stated. "I've talked it over with Aaron."

"No!" Stephanie shouted in reply. "My mother amazingly survived a piledriver, my brother's gonna get himself killed over it, my father hates me and has set Sable up to kill me, my boyfriend cheated on me, and I thought you were the only one I could count on to keep me stable."

Therese pulled Stephanie to her feet and hugged her. "You can count on me," she said, stroking the long dark hair. The dam burst and Stephanie cried over everything that had happened in the past few weeks. All the anger, all the fear, all the stress, the pent-up emotions came out in the tears. Therese didn't stop her while she rocked the woman from side to side. As the sobs subsided into the sniffles, Therese pulled back to grab a tissue from the desk and hand it to her. "You can always count on me. After we leave, let's go get some ice cream together, okay?" Stephanie nodded and settled down to finish her work and watch the show.

Stephanie had been able to avoid any kind of substantial conversation with Shawn between yesterday's flight and the end of SmackDown! She groaned when her phone rang while she was packing up to go and Shawn's number popped up. "Answer it for me," she said, handing it to Therese.

"I don't know what to say," the blonde replied and pushed the phone back at her.

"Hello?" Stephanie answered.

"Steph, why did you let Cena do that?" Shawn asked, trying to mask the anger in his voice.

"No 'hi, how are you'?" she spat out. "I know about last Sunday and I'm not talking to you right now. Goodbye." She viciously flipped the phone shut. "That took care of him."

"You might want to try listening to him," Therese suggested as her phone rang. It was Nash. "This is Blair," she answered.

"Hi, how are you?" he asked, then tacked on, "Do you know what's going on?"

Therese laughed. "So, camp's going well, babe?"

"You can't talk right now?" Kevin knowingly asked.

"Exactly."

"Call me when you get a chance, will you?"

"I love you, too, babe. See you soon." Therese ended the call and stuffed the phone in her bag. "Evan," she said, nodding at the satchel. "He only had a couple of seconds to talk 'cause someone else was waiting. Don't forget we have to pick him up, not this Monday, but next Monday." Stephanie weakly smiled, doubting that her little brother was the one on the phone.

After sharing a needed half of a gallon of ice cream and many comments about how much they were going to have to work out to keep from gaining weight, they returned to the hotel. Therese secluded herself in the bathroom and called Kevin. "Hey, babe. Sorry it took me so long to call back," she apologetically said.

"What's going on with Stephanie?"

She was almost afraid to betray her client's, _no, my friend's confidence, _she corrected herself, but the situation probably wouldn't smoothly resolve itself if she didn't get involved. "Someone, who can totally be trusted, told her that Shawn was at a strip club Sunday night and, um, to put it their way, quite enjoyed himself." Therese was beginning to have her own doubts about Kevin since the two were almost inseparable.

"Really?"

"I won't be angry if you were there with him," Therese said, hoping he would tell the truth. "Not that I won't be upset, but I just want to settle this between them."

"I can tell you for sure that _I_ wasn't there. After dinner and a few drinks at the bar, we both went back to the hotel. The only way was if he went back out while I was asleep," Kevin explained.

"You promise that you're not lying to get him out of trouble."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Not that I know of," she slightly laughed. "But, Shawn _was _seen in the joint that night. How is that if he was with you?"

"I'll find out. Goodnight, 'Rese," he softly said.

"'Night, babe," she replied and eased out of the bathroom. She poked her head into Stephanie's room to see the woman already in bed. "Steph?" No answer. "Stephanie?" When the brunette didn't answer again, she gave up and decided to go to bed also.

That didn't stop Therese from attempting to talk to her the next day. The GM spent the morning in the gym and then formulating a strategy. When Therese offered her a late lunch, she was at her laptop, plodding away at the work that she had missed the night before chasing Sable down. She agreed and began looking for clothes to go out in. "Can I ask you something?" Therese queried, settling on the bed.

"Yeah. What?"

"Why won't you talk to Shawn about what supposedly happened?"

"It was confirmed, so it wasn't supposed," Stephanie snapped. "At first, I was upset and wanted to deal with that before I talked to him. Now, I'm flat-out angry. He has the balls to ask me why I let Cena smack my butt after he was at a _topless _bar! No, if I talk to him, it'll get ugly."

"Then let me talk to him and find out what happened," the other woman pleaded.

"You mean you haven't already?"

"I talked to Kevin and he says he was with him all night and they weren't there."

"He's only doing it to cover his own ass," Stephanie replied, wagging her finger at Therese.

"I believe him. He said that Shawn _might _have gone out after he was asleep. He's supposed to be talking to Shawn to find out."

"Whatever," the brunette said and picked up her purse. "Ready to go." Therese sighed and nodded.

That night, Therese was finally able to get in touch with Kevin while once again hiding in the bathroom. "I couldn't talk with Shawn until late today," he began. "He's been with his family all day. But I do have good news."

"If you say that you saved a bunch of money on your car insurance…"

Kevin loudly laughed, breaking the tension. "No," he barely got out between snorts.

"Then, let's hear it because I _don't _have any," she responded and slid up onto the vanity to sit.

"Did you meet his cousin Michael Shane?" Nash asked.

"No, but I've seen him on TNA. Looks a little bit like Shawn, quite a—" Therese stopped before saying "hunk."

"What?" he asked, dropping the pen in his hand where he was scribbling across Shane's number on a notepad.

"Nothing. What about him?" she continued.

"He was in town for Shawn's birthday and came out with several of us to dinner. I called him and, after a threat or two, he admitted to using Shawn's name to get into this place where you have to know somebody who knows somebody to get in."

"You're kidding?" Therese laughed, relieved that it was so simple.

"No, _but…"_

"Oh, no," she muttered, leaning up against the mirror.

"Yeah," Kevin sighed, picking up the pen to scribble her name. "Shawn's a little pissed that Stephanie just assumed what she did and then did that routine in the ring with John Cena."

"Great," Therese sarcastically replied. "You work on him and I'll work on her. Deal?"

"Yeah. Now that that's over with, how's your week been?"

* * *

By the night of the pay-per-view, Stephanie and Shawn were still refusing to talk to each other. The GM was focused on her match and kept telling Therese that she didn't have time to think about it since she was playing double-duty as a wrestler and General Manager Sunday night. In all reality, Stephanie felt betrayed by Shawn and Therese—Shawn for jumping on her about Cena, whether or not he had been at the strip club, and Therese for telling when she had expressly asked her not to. However, relief had washed over her hearing that it was his cousin abusing the Michaels name and she secretly thanked Therese for butting in. But then there was the humiliation from saying what she had to him and assuming that she and Shawn were exclusively seeing each other. It was so complicated that she decided to sort out her feelings after her match. 

Stephanie stood outside the black curtain, psyching herself up for the no count-out catfight, the fifth match of the night. Therese squeezed her shoulder and told her good luck before leaving her to join the wrestler again at the ring. Stephanie kept telling herself that nothing was at stake—only her pride, which was something she had successfully bounced back from after her ex-husband had so graciously gotten her kicked off of television. Still, she worried somewhat that Sable would do anything in her means to physically harm her, thinking about the statement that the woman had made before the handicapped match about taking over her place if something was to happen. Therese would stop it before things went that far. For all they knew, Sable was conspiring with the stalker, especially if the stalker was hired by Vince McMahon.

The GM attempted to make her face show the opposite of what her stomach felt like but assumed that her skin was as green as the churning of her insides. She stepped into the ring, sized Sable up, and the match began. Stephanie was in total control of the match, countering moves, getting a few good slaps in, and generally tearing the woman up. She was relentless in getting her revenge. The fabric of Sable's top ripped as Stephanie threw her out of the ring. She followed, pounded on the blonde some more, and rolled her back in.

Now the black top was completely ripped and Therese rolled her eyes when Sable was exposed. _What is it about this sport that women have to be half-naked…_she mused, averting her eyes until the referee could get his shirt off for the wrestler. When A-Train loped down the ramp, the agent couldn't decide if she needed to intervene. She stood up, then sat back down, but was quickly moving when the hulking man clotheslined Stephanie. He was immediately out of the ring to avoid being caught by the official and no significant damage seemed to be done to the GM, so Therese backtracked and waited. Of course, she wanted to stop the three-count so Stephanie could win, but this was none of her business, friend or otherwise.

When Stephanie came to, she knew she had lost but it became the last thing on her as she struggled to breathe and fight the pain in her ribs, which were aching worse than the attack from the fourth of July. She was grateful for Therese's cool hand that slipped in hers as the trainers helped her to the back. After some drugs, the pain finally abated somewhat. The prognosis was the same as that from three weeks ago, just some bruising.

Not much of Vengeance was left, so Therese attempted to persuade Stephanie to return to her hotel room to rest and not worry about anything else. She then pointed out that even Zach Gowen was doing fine after his loss to Vince McMahon and that John Cena had successfully survived the Last Ride. At the mention of Cena's name, Stephanie glanced at the wrestler that had come to see the trainers as a precaution after his match with the Undertaker.

The brunette slid off the table and eased her way to where John sat. He looked up to see her coming and grinned. "Losers should stick together," he said, patting the seat beside him.

"Thanks," she sarcastically replied but then added a smile before sitting down. "I think I owe you an apology."

"About what?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"When I turned you down for dinner, I wasn't completely honest as to why."

"I know about Shawn Michaels. That's why I said what I did in the ring, even though it didn't come out the right way," he said with a nervous laugh.

"You really got my attention but I have to apologize for that too. I was mad at Shawn and let you…do _that _because I wanted to make him jealous," Stephanie explained.

"Oh," he quietly replied.

"I'm really sorry," she said and laid a hand on his arm.

"Are y'all…exclusive?" John asked, completely turning his body in the seat towards her.

"I want it to be that way. I'm really sorry."

"Me, too," he responded and his eyes dropped to the floor. For a moment, they said nothing but then he looked back up at her. "Well, if he ever does you wrong, you know where I work. I'll take care of him."

She laughed and held out her arms to hug him. "Thank you. You'll be the first to know."

Therese stood over to the side to give Stephanie privacy but she had still heard the conversation. "Exclusive, huh?"

"Yeah, I think so," the brunette said, slowly nodding her head. "You and Kevin look so happy and I want that."

"You better start with a phone call," Therese advised, holding an arm out for Stephanie to use as support.

"I know, but I don't know what to say," she replied, leaning on the other woman.

"Start with 'I'm sorry.'"

"It's not that simple, but I promise I'll call tomorrow."

* * *

Several times on Monday, Stephanie picked up the phone but immediately set it back down. When she wasn't sleeping from the exhaustion of the night before, she was pacing and thinking about what to say. She had to be the one to make the first move. Shawn was the one wronged by her for more than one reason. They were all four supposed to meet up tomorrow since both RAW and SmackDown! were in Colorado Springs, so she put it off until she could see him in person—something that Therese had to almost beat out of her and was, of course, passed along the two-person grapevine. She and Kevin had been talking, passing on whatever Stephanie and Shawn had said to them. Both were looking for just the rights words to say to make-up from their first fight. 

Watching RAW was a little difficult for more than one reason. Of course, having to watch Shawn verbally spar with Jericho brought up her impending confrontation with him tomorrow. Then there was the situation with her mother and Kane. Linda was at home resting comfortably and attempting to do business through conference calls. She was doing well and was only having problems with her neck that the doctor said would go away in the next few weeks. No permanent damage was foreseen unless she didn't take it easy.

Vince threatened Kane, not because he was a good husband he said, but because Kane was an animal. Stephanie couldn't reason out why words such as those would still bother her. She resisted calling Shane after his attack on Kane. The Big Red Machine was unaffected by her brother's assault on him and she feared the worst. Instead, she called Marissa and they consoled one another, telling each other that this was something that Shane had to do and that everything would turn out alright in the end.

Stephanie was on the phone with Shane about Monday night when Kevin knocked on Therese's door at the appointed time for dinner. The blonde opened the door to see Shawn standing behind him, looking a bit nervous. "Stephanie's almost ready," she said. "But I've been thinking, Shawn. Maybe you two should talk before we go out." Shawn nervously glanced at Stephanie's room. "We'll meet you at the restaurant."

"Yeah, bud, don't worry about," Kevin added and patted Shawn on the back.

Therese peeked into Stephanie's room and she hadn't heard a thing. "Go knock on her door," she encouraged Shawn and quietly closed her own.

As the couple stepped into the elevator, Kevin asked, "Did you order room service for them?"

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, "and I changed our reservations to a private table for two."

"Why don't we forget dinner and go back to my room?" he said and wrapped his arms around her.

"After dinner, I promise," she replied against his mouth.

* * *

Stephanie set the cell phone down and blotted her lipstick as the knock sounded at her door. "Just a moment." She pulled it open to see Shawn in a pair of jeans and a navy blue sports coat. "Hi. Let me get my purse." 

"Wait. Can we talk before we go?" he quietly asked. "Therese and Kevin have already gone."

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. She sat down on the edge of the bed and indicated he should sit beside her. "I'm so sorry I didn't ask you what happened and just assumed what I did. I'm so sorry I tried to make you jealous."

"Princess, _I'm _sorry I jumped on you for letting Cena smack what I thought was mine," he apologized, putting a hand on her cheek.

"You thought my butt was yours?"

"Yeah, I thought we weren't seeing anyone else and, well, I was extremely jealous," Shawn explained.

"That was my plan," she slightly smiled but he gave a sideways look. "No, I mean, that was what I was doing but I'm sorry I did it n—"

"It's okay. I was kidding. I'm sorry about all of this."

"We've said 'sorry' so many times that maybe we should just show it instead of saying it."

Shawn looked down at his watch. "We've got a little time," he said suggestively.

She slid into his embrace and ran a finger over his bottom lip. He bent his head down and, as their lips touched, someone loudly rapped at the door and yelled, "Room Service."

They both looked at each other curiously and Shawn went to answer the door. A man stood there with a cart that had covered dishes on it. He held out a note and said, "This is for Stephanie McMahon. Are you Shawn Michaels?"

"Yes," he said, taking the note from him.

"Miss Blair requested that I inform you that she won't be in until tomorrow morning."

Shawn lightly snorted and replied, "Thanks. Come on in."

Stephanie had heard everything and reached for the note. It was from Therese and basically said that she had taken the liberty of ordering the dinner and to keep Shawn busy because his room would probably be occupied. "Well," she smiled. "Let's eat. There are other things on our agenda this evening we should be getting to."

* * *

As little time as they had spent in bed, Therese was quickly growing fond of laying on her side, snuggled against Kevin, her leg thrown across his. She drew lazy circles across his chest as he played with a tress of her hair. "What if we moved in together?" he offhandedly asked. 

"Move in together?" she repeated, completely stunned at the question.

"Yeah, we would definitely see a lot more of each other. It's not like you'd be moving states."

"True…"

"I don't think either of us is ready for marriage—" he began, pushing away to look at her in the face.

"Marriage?" she interrupted, staring up at him.

"I'm just saying, 'Rese, that I love you so much and I don't know any other way to tell you how much except to ask if you want to move in," he explained and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"Oh, babe, I love you too. I just don't know. It's not that I don't want to. The last time I moved in with someone, it didn't turn out so well," she lied to cover for not having an immediate answer. "Give me time to think."

"Alright," he said and leaned down for a kiss. "Just don't take too long. I'll understand if you say 'no' but I hope you don't."

Kevin situated himself back under her and she laid her head back down on his chest, her mind reeling over what he had just asked. The only lie that had passed her lips was the one about a previous boyfriend. She knew that without truth, nothing was going to happen between them. The agent opened her mouth to tell him but stopped herself. If she did, she would lose her job and possibly endanger Stephanie…but she had to tell him. He deserved to know that he was in love with another woman. However, her hopes were that he would still love her no matter what. The more she thought about it, the more she believed he would understand. If she knew him like she thought, he would be a little upset at first but they would move on from there. Whatever may be, she wasn't going to spoil the moment and snuggled closer to his warm body before falling into a light sleep.

TBC...

**

* * *

Author's Notes:** A bit of a slow chapter, I know, but I promise, on my honor, to reveal the stalker in the next chapter. Also, I know very little about Michael Shane other than he wrestles for TNA and he's got beautiful eyes. :) So, I hope I didn't slaughter his character by writing him in this way. 


	27. The Final Move Is Made

**_Chapter XXVII: The Final Move Is Made_**

Being so far apart so many times, the couples hardly left each other's side now that they were together. Except for a few phone calls, Therese and Stephanie didn't talk to each other on Wednesday because they didn't step foot out of their respective rooms, barely making it out of bed to eat. Somehow, the two women found a way to peel themselves off of their men to arrive at the arena early Thursday afternoon.

Not surprisingly, the GM hadn't touched her work for two and a half days. She sat at her desk, papers and folders everywhere around her laptop and telephone. Therese was once again pouring over the blue-prints of the building and formulating a plan to which Stephanie _would _agree to lure out the stalker. The walkie-talkie, which she had taken to wearing about a month ago, was clipped to her belt and hummed static, except for the occasional question about parking or where the barricades where supposed to be set up.

"Miss Blair?" the deep voice over the radio called and startled her out of her study.

"This is Blair. Go ahead."

"This is Harrison. We have Code Purple People Eater."

"Is this related to Code Yellow Polka Dot Bikini?"

"That is an affirmative."

"I'm on my way." Stephanie was not stupid and knew that the codes meant that a man had been caught with the scant descriptions of her attacker. "Steph, I've got to—"

"I know. Please let me know as soon as possible if it's him." Therese shook her head at Stephanie for actually remembering the codes the one time she had mentioned them to her. "Get going."

"Locked door. _No one _comes in or goes out." Stephanie closed her eyes and nodded before returning to pecking away at the laptop. Therese rushed down the halls to the arena's security office.

Andrew Harrison, the head of security operations, met her at the door. "He was carrying this but claims he knows nothing," the man said and handed her an envelope with WWE's letterhead. She opened it and read, _My__ dearest Stephanie: It won't be long now. I hope you're ready for me. Love, you know who. P. S. Therese, I know you're reading this. You'll be next. Get ready. _"Does he know who you really are?"

She shook her head. "I don't think it's possible. But if that guy in there is him, he's going to find out now."

The handcuffed man was being held in one of the smaller offices guarded by two men. Therese strode in and began firing questions at him. He claimed that he was an employee of RAW who had been approached by another guy at the show and asked him to deliver a letter to Stephanie for a hefty sum. He continued to claim innocence of knowing the situation and even the guy's name.

The agent was out of questions to ask to prove that this guy was indeed the stalker. She called Aaron, who was at home eating supper. He was a bit irate until she explained the situation, detailing everything. "I don't think it's him," she sighed.

"Neither do I but we can't take any chances."

"Aaron, if it's not him, there's nothing we can do."

"I know. Let him sweat it out for a few hours and I'll call you back after the show. You can question him again then and we'll see what happens. Did he tell you what the guy looked like that gave him the letter?"

"No, I'll go ask." She returned to the small office. "Can you tell me what this man looked like that gave you the letter?"

"When am I getting out of here?"

"I can't tell you that. Can you answer the question please?"

The man sighed. "Yeah, he was my height, about my build. He had dark brown hair, looked like he was in his thirties maybe, had a tattoo on his neck but I don't remember what it was."

_Damn, that describes three guys who work here. _"Thank you," she said and turned on her heel. Therese would parade those men in here and have this guy identify which one had set him up. Stephanie was probably worried and the stalker was no doubt still around, so she chose to return to the woman instead of calling. On her way there, she debated on why the stalker would have another person deliver his letter and risk someone identifying him. _Because it was diversion, _her mind screamed. Therese sprinted to Stephanie's door where she noticed several tiny, pink flowers lying on the floor.

* * *

Stephanie wasn't sure how long it had been since Therese left but she thought it was a bit early for her to return when a knock sounded at the door. "Who is it?" she called. 

"Flowers for Miss McMahon!"

"Who are they from?" she asked, standing on the other side of the door.

"Shawn Michaels."

_How sweet, _she thought, _Shawn sending me flowers before he comes. _Shawn and Kevin were supposed to arrive right before the show when things would be so busy that they would be able to get in easily. Therese had already left the information with the guard at the parking gate.

Stephanie considered the stalker caught and wondered what harm could come in accepting the delivery. She opened the door to a dark-haired man holding a large vase of a variety of flowers. She recognized him as one of the crewman. "Thank you, uh, Colin, isn't it? Colin Jenkins?" He nodded and that was when she remembered that Therese had pointed him out as one to be wary of.

"Good, you know my name. That way you can scream it," he maliciously said as a gun protruded from the mass of flowers. "For now, shut up," he added at seeing Stephanie's horror-stricken face.

Stephanie couldn't say a word if she wanted. She managed to will her body to back up as Jenkins barged his way in and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Therese's stomach dropped to her feet. She had left Stephanie with strict instruction to keep the door locked and to not answer to anyone, and, if she did, what delivery person would let that many flowers fall from an arrangement? To feel out the situation, she knocked on the door. 

By now, Stephanie was shaking so badly she could hardly move. Her mind was a complete blank and every part of her body was numb, except for her stomach that seemed to twist into knots at every word from Jenkins. "Get rid of whoever it is," he growled and shoved her up against the wall with the pistol to her head.

"Who is it?" Stephanie's wavering voice called.

From the sound of her voice, Therese instantly knew the stalker was in there with her. "Renee," she called back.

Her stomach flipped at the possibility that now Therese was there to save her when she recognized the voice and her middle name. She debated on what to say next to give her the hint of what was going on. "I can't come to the door right now. I'm at my desk with a ton of stuff in my lap.

_She's near the desk_, Therese thought. "I've got a package."

"Just leave it with the front security guard and I'll have Therese get it later."

"I'll have it there in five seconds," Therese replied. _Does that mean she's coming in five seconds? _Stephanie thought as the man eased off her.

Counting to five, the security agent checked to see if the door was locked by barely twisting the knob. With practiced silence, she drew her 9mm and burst inside the door, which swung back closed on itself. The sight before her made her falter in her steps.

The man she recognized to be Colin Jenkins, also matching the other man's description perfectly, held Stephanie by her throat against the wall with a gun up to her temple. He was one of top suspects in her list of staff and crew. Stephanie's blouse was torn open and tears were streaming down her face. Her watery blue eyes were pleading with Therese to help her as she trembled in fear. Therese immediately jerked her gun back up and trained it on the man's forehead. "Drop your weapon and move away from Miss McMahon," she demanded.

The man stared back at her before busting out in laughter. "You first," he drawled.

"I am not joking."

"Have you ever shot a gun?" he grinned wickedly, the corners around his dark eyes turning up.

_Stupid fool, _Therese thought and answered,"You don't want to know what I'm capable of in being able to hit a target."

"If you fire, Stephanie dies," he slowly enunciated each word. A barely audible whimper came from the GM but he didn't look at her.

"I will put a bullet in your head before your finger even pulls the trigger," Therese replied in the same mocking tone.

"Then we'll just have to see who pulls the trigger first."

They were at an impasse, so Therese had to keep him talking. "You can't hide in here forever with the both of us. If you do anything to her, I'll shoot you."

"And I'll shoot her."

"So, either way, you die. Now what?"

She could tell Jenkins was searching his mind for his next move. "You wouldn't dare kill her by trying anything with me. I'm getting out of here and taking her with me. Remember, you shoot and I shoot."

The stalker slowly dragged Stephanie across the room and forced her to open the office door. He continued out into the hallway, his gun alternating between her temple and Therese's head. The tears began rolling fresh down the brunette's face. Therese was proud of the fact that Stephanie was holding it together well and not panicking. Her captor yelled at Therese to drop her weapon again but Therese stared him down. She would not bend. If she stayed focused on him, he would panic and let Stephanie go in order to save his own life.

Everyone in the hallway scattered when they heard the stalker yell at Therese. She could have easily handled the situation if people hadn't created such a commotion. Most ran in the opposite direction but a woman stumbled into Jenkins, knocking Stephanie out of his grasp and into a pile of equipment. His gun went off and Therese dropped to the ground on one knee. Seeing her fall, he turned around and began running.

The familiar pain quickly spread through her leg like liquid fire, but this time it had caught just enough of her thigh to rip out a good chunk of flesh. She knew she had to get up, to finish her job. Her leg almost buckled beneath her but, with a sharp intake of breath, she quickly walked to Stephanie to test her weight. She knew she could make it if she could mentally block out the pain and focus. Stephanie was righting herself and seemed to be physically okay. "Stay here," she ordered as she pulled the disoriented woman to her feet. "Call an officer and get in another room with a lock."

With another big breath, Therese began running down the hall. The pain shot up her thigh but became more bearable with each step as the blood trickled down her leg. The corridors were clear from all those that the stalker's path had crossed. She whipped out the walkie-talkie, shouting, "This is Blair. Seal all exits." She quickly described the stalker, not missing the important fact of his name. "Whatever you do, do not let him into the audience." Therese called out to anyone that was listening to point her in the direction the man had gone. One brave stagehand pointed down another hallway. Therese took off at breakneck speed. After another intersection, another helpful hand sent her down a corridor.

Jenkins had slowed down, assuming he had made it out. She had an open shot and aimed for his knee. Just as she squeezed the trigger, a form came from out of nowhere and speared her to the ground. The shot ricocheted off the wall and sent the stalker running. She kicked out at her assailant and connected. The man pinned her down by her shoulders and she kneed him in the stomach. She rolled away, fresh pain shooting up her leg. Pushing up from the floor, she clambered for her gun that had been knocked out of her hands. The other person got there first.

* * *

Stephanie pulled her blouse tight over her and rushed back in her office to grab her suit jacket. She buttoned it up over the torn shirt as she pressed the extension on the phone for the security office. Therese's announcement had reached the guard stationed there seconds before Stephanie's call came in. The guard assured her that a policeman would meet her at the room she designated. This was another office two doors down and she called Shawn as she hurried there. "Where are you?" she asked in a shaky voice. 

"Just got here," he replied. "This place is absolute chaos. What is going on?"

"Is Kevin with you?" she asked.

"No, he went looking for catering. Said he didn't feel well and needed to pick up a bite. What's going on?"

She sighed heavily. "I'm in a different office," she said and explained the change. "I'll tell you as soon as you get here." A knock sounded at the door and a male voice identified himself as the officer that was sent. "I've got to go." She hesitated to answer the door after what had happened the last time but she had to trust security. The policeman stated that he would stand guard at her door. She thanked him and explained that Shawn was to be let in.

As Stephanie shut the door, she heard Shawn shout her name and she rushed back outside, never more relieved to see him. The officer stepped between them and drew his gun. Stephanie explained who Shawn was and the man moved away. "What is going on?" he demanded. Her answer was to fling herself on him and burst into tears. He pulled her inside the room and tried to calm her down.

When she could speak again, she quickly explained who Therese Blair really was and what had happened earlier in the evening. "It all makes sense now," he said, nodding.

"What makes sense?"

"We'll talk about that another time. Kevin doesn't know about her." Stephanie shook her head. "So she's out there right now looking for this Jenkins guy?"

"Yeah," she replied and then her eyes grew large. "Shawn, you've got to go make sure she's okay. Make her come back. Tell her to let those other guys take care of it."

"I don't want to leave you."

"Please, go find her. I'll call Kevin and get him to help too."

"Alright," he said and kissed her long and hard. "Be safe. I'll be back."

* * *

The man couldn't help but hear her audible gasp. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Kevin Nash said, getting to his feet. The curse rang from her mouth. "That's right. You're in it up to your eyes." 

"No, listen. I haven't got time," she heavily breathed. "Just trust me. I'm a security specialist undercover as Stephanie's assistant. You just managed to help her stalker get away."

A thousand conflicting emotions ran across his face. "You're what? I thought…but…you're…tell me the truth."

"Please, I am telling the truth. Why would I make this up? Someone is trying to kill Stephanie and it's my job to stop him." Several images ran through his mind. He remembered the shoulder holster half hidden under a blanket. Then he thought about how Stephanie was always accompanied by Therese, about the awkwardness between the two even though they were close friends, about when she acted as a bodyguard at the hockey game, about her ability to fight, and about the leather strap sticking out from under the cover that he now realized was a holster. "Listen. I will explain everything later. Just give me the gun. If you want to help, the man went that way and turned left. We can split up from there."

"You're not going anywhere. You're bleeding," he said, pointing at the wound.

_Yeah, thanks for that news update, _she sarcastically thought and touched her pants where the bullet tore through and the area was soaked in blood. The floor was smeared where she had gone down and slid across it. "I will be fine. I know what I'm doing. Just give it back and let's go. Please trust me." She took the weapon from him as he stared at her in shock, the disappointment in her beginning to register on his face. Finally the severity of the issue hit home and he acknowledged her with a nod. After a quick description of the man, she jogged on with a limp and he followed. The two split at the end of the hall.

Therese met up several security guards and police officers now that the place was swarming with them. After a briefing of where they had been, she continued down another hall that no one remembered checking. After another turn, the corridor was a dead-end. The small hall that broke off from it was the only place that the stalker could be if he had hid here. Each of the four doors was locked but a light shown out from under one. This was nothing but a storage area that no one in WWE would have need of.

Busting in would only get her killed. Therese stood next to the door and loudly said, "This corridor's empty too. I'll rejoin you in the catering area." She switched off the walkie-talkie, clipping it to her belt, and stomped down the small hall until she rejoined the longer dead-end corridor. She turned the corner and walked in place, her steps getting lighter. She plastered herself against the wall and began the hard part, waiting.

The door finally creaked open and the man's steps slowly approached. When he appeared, gun held out, Therese kicked out and sent the weapon across the hallway. She punched his face and then lashed out with her leg again, hitting his stomach and bringing him to his knees. His arm caught a barrel of miscellaneous sporting equipment, turning it over and sending bats, baseballs, basketballs, and more across the floor. She dropped an ax-handle on his back and stood back up to pull her gun out of its holster. Before she could aim, Jenkins jerked her ankle out from under her, sending her backward. Her head cracked against the hard floor, the Beretta clattered away, and her vision swam. She tried to move but was immediately nauseated. The blurry sight of the stalker rose and he stood over her, his gun pointed at her head. She had nothing, which mattered not because she could barely think.

"Well, well, who would have thought that Stephanie's secretary could fight. Sure as hell can't shoot a gun."

"Administrative assistant," she bit out, attempting to buy some time.

"Oh, Miss Femi-nazi!"

"Chauvinist pig!"

"That's enough," he bit out. "I've been wanting to get my hands on you ever since you screwed up my plans in Rochester. So, what should it be? I could easily blow your brains out, but then if I got caught, I would have murder on my list." He sighted the bloodstain on her pants. "Or maybe just assault with a deadly weapon is more my game. Let's add to what I started." The bullet ripped through the flesh of her thigh and she screamed, reaching out to grab onto something to weather the pain. Her fingers brushed hard wood but couldn't latch on. "Shut up," Jenkins commanded. "Scream one more time and I will kill you." The tears were streaming down her face. He pointed the gun at her head again. "I will let you go if you get me out of here. Create a diversion while—"

He never finished the sentence as her fingers finally caught hold of the wood—a hockey stick, her specialty. Therese swung from her supine position and landing a blow on Jenkins' neck. His dropped his gun, clutching his neck and throat, couching and fighting for breath. Finding her balance on one knee, she hit him in the back and he fell to the ground, the stick splintering over his body. She glanced around and found her gun, not far from where she had lain. Crawling across the floor on one knee, she reached it and immediately aimed it at the stalker who was groaning from where he lay in the hall. Slowly edging back, she picked a place to settle against the wall. The man blinked as he looked around, first at her and then at his gun a yard away.

"Now I give orders," she barked. "Before you reach that gun, you _will _be dead. I may not be James Bond, but I _do _have a license to kill. Who are you working for?"

"Myself," he growled.

"I don't believe you. Who set you up to do this?" she harshly asked. He said nothing. "I _will_ shoot. Who are you working for?" He turned his head away from her. "Tell me _now,_" she said slowly, enunciating each word carefully, and aimed the 9mm right above his head at a plywood box, firing off a shot. "Who!" she shouted.

TBC…

**

* * *

Author's Notes:** I only told you that I would reveal the stalker but not who he's working for. ;) Don't hate me, please. 


	28. Just Part of the Job

**_Chapter XXVIII: Just Part of the Job_**

_"Who set you up to do this?" she harshly asked. He said nothing. "I will shoot. Who are you working for?" He turned his head away from her. "Tell me now," she said slowly, enunciating each word carefully, and aimed the 9mm right above his head at a plywood box, firing off a shot. "Who!" she shouted._

"Eric Bischoff," he yelled. _It was too easy, _Therese thought to herself. The majority of the letters had coincided with Bischoff's problems but the fact that the letters turned up at and the one attack occurred at SmackDown! caused them to move him lower on the list of suspects. If Bischoff or Jenkins had written the letters was yet to be seen, but the stalker more than anything probably reeked of the RAW General Manager's money despite how much he was actually doing for the man.

As Jenkins said the name, Andrew Harrison turned the corner, along with a security guard and a policeman behind him. The officer immediately cuffed the stalker while the guard picked up the gun. Harrison quickly rushed to Therese's side.

She raised her eyes to see several more people swarm into the hall and focused on one in particular, Shawn Michaels. One of the guards cordoning off the area tried to stop him but he brushed past anyway. "Why aren't you with Steph…" she tried to ask through a clenched jaw while Harrison was attempting to wrap her leg up to stop the blood flow.

He knelt by her and replied, "She was worried about you and sent me to make sure you were alright."

"I will be," she said with a relieved sigh when the man tending to her released the pressure on her thigh after tying the make-shift bandage. "Go back to her. She needs you."

Looking around at the blood on the floor and the red stain seeping through the bandage, he knew they would be taking her to the hospital. "We'll follow the ambulance," he stated.

Therese nodded her response, tired and hurting too much to argue. He squeezed her shaking hand and rose but she reached out toward him. The pain was getting worse now that the adrenaline of the fight was beginning to wear off and, through chattering teeth, she said, "Tell Kevin I'm sorry."

"I don't underst—" Shawn started to respond but the paramedics pushed him out of the way.

The man who had tended to her first stepped away and Shawn grasped him by the arm. "Is she gonna be alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, best I can tell. I don't know what happened. I think he shot her in the leg," Harrison answered. Shawn shook his head in response as he watched the paramedics tend to her. When someone pushed a stretcher by, he realized that he needed to get Stephanie so they could follow…and talk to Kevin.

When Shawn returned to Stephanie, the police officer had been dismissed and she was packing up her office. Her eyes lit up and she opened her mouth to speak but stopped at the look on his face. "Just tell me she's alive."

"Oh, princess, she should be just fine," he said and rushed forward to hold her.

"Should?" she asked, pushing away.

Shawn explained what he had been told by Harrison and then said, "I promised her we would follow the ambulance."

"Of course we have to," she replied and frantically finished shoving papers in her briefcase.

"What did Kevin have to say?"

"He never answered his phone," Stephanie nervously replied, not looking up from her packing.

"Therese told me to tell him she's sorry…He knows about her," he said and Stephanie's head jerked up to look at him. "Somehow he found out. I have to find him. Do you have a car here?"

"I have the limo."

"Take the limo to the hospital. Be there for her and I'll find Kevin."

Stephanie grabbed her briefcase and purse and rushed out the door. She was alone for the first time in months and suddenly she felt lost. Therese should have been by her side. When the GM reached the parking lot, her security specialist was being wheeled towards the ambulance. "Wait!" Stephanie called and hurried over as fast as her heels would let her. "Therese," she softly said and put a hand on the woman's arm that didn't have needles in it.

The blonde looked up at her and smiled, "I got 'im." She managed a thumbs-up with her other hand.

"I'm coming to the hospital."

"Fffbbtt, don't worry about me," Therese replied with a goofy look on her face. "Stay with the show."

"Is she medicated?" Stephanie asked. One of the paramedics nodded. "So I can say anything to her and she probably won't remember it?"

The woman nodded again but then said, "This is no joke. We really need to get her out of here."

"Yes, ma'am," Stephanie replied, then turned to Therese. "Rese, I'll see you in a little while. Hang in there."

* * *

Shawn arrived at the hospital to find an exhausted Stephanie pacing the waiting room. She looked up to see him and tapped her watch. "They should be finished with her by now. No one's called to let me know what's going on." 

"Steph, sit down," he said and pulled her over to a chair. "She's in capable hands. Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah, he didn't hurt me if that's what you're asking."

"Do you need to talk?" Shawn asked, placing a hand on her arm.

"Not now. Maybe later."

"The police are coming for your statement. Will you be able to talk then?"

"I think so," she answered with a tentative nod. "Did you find Kevin?"

"No," he replied, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I checked everywhere I could at the arena. No one had seen him since we came in, the car's gone, he's not at the hotel."

"We have to find him."

"I'm going to," Shawn reassured her. "None of this is a good sign. He's probably at some bar."

"There can't be that many in Colorado Springs. We'll call them all. It's not like he blends into a crowd." She grabbed the phonebook off the end table and began flipping through it.

When the phone rang at the receptionist's desk, her head jerked up. When the woman asked if there was anyone there for the Blair family, Stephanie shouted, "That's me," dropped the phonebook, and rushed over. She listened intently, nodding her head, and mumbling, "Uh huh."

She handed the phone back to the woman and returned to her seat with a smile. "She's okay. Took two bullets to the leg. One only caught part of her thigh. The other missed the bone and they were able to stitch both of them. The wounds were clean and her muscles weren't ripped, so it's nothing that time and a little physical therapy won't fix. She's gonna be fine," she explained but choked up on the last sentence. Shawn breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the brunette to him. "She's in the recovery room and, when she wakes up, we can go see her," she said into his shoulder but then pulled away. "But now we have to find Kevin. He needs to know what's going on."

"I know," he replied and picked up the phonebook and they started calling bars, splitting the list between them. Three calls into the list, Shawn clapped his phone shut. "Bingo," he said. "If I'm not back when Rese wakes up, give her my love." He kissed Stephanie and held her to him so long that she pushed him away and told him to get going.

The cab found the establishment with relative ease and Shawn made his way inside the kind of joint that Kevin was not prone to frequent. Off to the right, couples played pool, the tops of their cue sticks lost in the smoky haze. The music was so loud that it almost hurt his ears having come from the library silence of the hospital. Threading his way through the people, he sighted Nash. "Kevin!" he shouted, tapping the big man on his shoulder. Kevin glanced behind him but turned around without a word when he recognized Shawn. "You've had enough. Let's go."

"I'm not drunk yet so, no, I've not had enough," he harshly replied.

"Kevin," Shawn said, with a reprimanding tone. "You need to know about Therese."

The giant's hand shot out and grabbed the front of Shawn's shirt, dragging him level with his eyes. "I know enough," he growled and shoved him away.

"Is there a problem?" another voice interrupted. The two men looked up to see one of the bouncers. "Because if there is, this needs to go outside," he continued, folding his arms across his huge chest.

"Yeah, he's being ass," Shawn shouted, his eyes boring holes into Kevin.

"Fine," he replied, downing the last of the beer and following the shorter man out. "What is it?" he demanded once there were outside in the fresh air.

"I take it you know the truth about her."

"Other than that she's been playing some charade with me?" Kevin asked, running a hand over his ponytail.

"That's not how it is!" Shawn bit out.

"I don't wanna know anything else," Kevin replied and turned to go.

"Well, you need to know she was shot hunting that bastard down."

The taller man stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What?" he exclaimed, the concern showing on his face. Shawn explained what he could piece together about the attack and what the doctor had told Stephanie. "She's gonna be fine. Why do I need to be there?"

"The woman was shot taking care of my girlfriend!" Shawn shouted at him. "If you love her like you say you do, you'll come see her."

"I don't know who she is now, so how do I know that I love her?"

"Kevin, I'm not gonna stop until you go to the hospital with me," he sternly stated.

"Fine," Kevin replied and stomped over to their rental car.

"First, you have to change clothes. You stink of that place." Kevin rolled his eyes and slid into the car. On the way to the hotel, Shawn broke the silence. "I can imagine what you're going through."

"I'm sure you can," Kevin sarcastically replied and returned to staring out the window.

"Maybe not on the same level but I do understand. Even though this was going on before we hooked up, Steph didn't feel she could tell me about the stalker. They had to do a lot of covering up to make sure nothing leaked out. Even Mark is not Mark. He's Therese's—"

"Son?" Kevin whipped around to look at him.

"No, he's her little brother. His name's Evan Blair. I'm not happy about it either but this was the way things had to be done. Stephanie's pack of lies was about as big as Therese's. What matters now is that she got the job done and Steph's safe," Shawn said and pulled into a parking space.

"I'm glad to know that I was part of the job," Kevin replied angrily and hurried out of the car. Shawn didn't even flinch as the door slammed shut.

No more words were said as the two attempted to remove the smell of the bar and then drove to the hospital. Therese had been moved to a room and Stephanie was waiting inside with her. Shawn quickly entered and embraced Stephanie. She looked up to see Kevin standing in the doorway and pulled back from Shawn to walk over to him. He didn't take his hands out of his pockets and Stephanie didn't attempt to hug him. "It's okay," the woman quietly said. "She was awake about thirty minutes or so ago but she's drifted off again. I don't think she would be upset if we woke her up to see you."

"No, leave her alone," he said, taking a couple of steps inside. She looked good to have just been through such an ordeal. If it wasn't for the needles in her arm and the oxygen tube running across her face, she would have looked as she always did lying by his side in bed. Her eyelids fluttered opened for a moment and she whispered Stephanie's name.

The brunette rushed to her side to tell her that Kevin was there but then realized that the man was no longer in the room. "What do you need?" she asked. Giving her a drink of water, she told her that Shawn was there. The blonde's face lit up at seeing him and he pulled up a chair to the bedside. They talked for a little bit until her head began to hurt and her eyelids drooped.

The couple stepped outside and quietly talked in the hall. "What now?" Shawn asked with a sigh.

"I don't know. Someone's got to be at the airport Monday morning to pick up Evan."

"Evan?" Shawn asked with a crinkled brow but then smoothed over. "Sorry, now I remember."

"I guess I could call Evan's babysitter and see if she could do it on such short notice. I'm sure her number is in Therese's cell phone. Of course, it all depends on when she's getting out of here. I don't know," Stephanie said with a sigh.

"We're in British Columbia Monday but I guess I could take time off to be with you," Shawn stated, pulling her into his arms.

"There's no sense in that. You need to stay with Kevin, figure out what's eating him and talk some sense into him. I know I will at least see her home."

"I'm gonna attempt to go find Kevin. Do you want me to bring you something back from the hotel?" Shawn asked, letting her go.

"That would be wonderful. Let me get my key."

* * *

Shawn never found Kevin. Their room was empty of all of Kevin's things and he wasn't answering his cellphone, even when they used Therese's phone to call without her knowledge. She had not once mentioned his name. 

The doctors kept Therese one more night due to the concussion and the running of tests the first full day. She sent Stephanie back to the hotel Friday night, declaring that she couldn't rest with Stephanie there all night. The brunette knew it was Therese's way of making her get some rest by sleeping in a real bed instead of an uncomfortable hospital chair.

When Shawn opened the hotel door for her, she immediately asked him to stay the night with her. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just don't want to be alone," she said and dropped her things on the small table.

"Let me get some things from my room," he replied.

Stephanie kissed him before he left and then set about undressing and getting a real bath. Washcloths in hospital bathrooms didn't cut it for her. She ran a steaming bath, poured in some lavender oil, and followed with her body. Instead of washing away the events of the past two days, her mind, now free to wander, began replaying everything that had happened. Jenkins had never put his hands on her in a sexual manner and she was beyond grateful, knowing the threats he had made. He had shoved her around a lot and the bruises were beginning to show on her upper arms. His grating voice echoed through her ears, "You know my name. That way you can scream it." Now, she just wanted to scream at him and demand to know why he had done those things to her.

The police came for her statement the first evening and she repeated exactly what had happened in her office. They had already spoken with Aaron Pendleton, so little was needed from her for the case. Therese had been questioned earlier in the day and Stephanie heard for the first time the battle she had gone through to bring the monster down. She felt so guilty for putting the woman through so much at the end. She had hated her from their first meeting, had even attempted to hurt her physically that once. She was aware that the feelings at one time had been mutual and couldn't fathom why Therese would do such a thing for her. _It's her job, it was just her job, _Stephanie thought to herself but began to feel a little differently. Their relationship had taken a sharp turn over the past few weeks. She would have honestly said that Therese was a good friend before the incident the previous evening, but now she was _proud_ to say that Therese was her friend.

Stephanie had decided to stay with her at least through the next week when Shawn gently knocked on the bathroom door. "Yes?" she called out.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, c'mon."

Shawn stepped around the door and smiled to see her shapely body glowing pink from the warm water. "That's a big bathtub. Do you need some help?" She smiled and gestured for him to get in with her. The blonde wasted no time in shimmying out of his clothes and slipping in behind her. He pulled her up against his chest and fanned out her wet hair across it. "How're you feeling, princess?"

"Tired, very tired," she answered, taking one of his hands and threading her fingers through his, "but relieved. This is all over. If he pleads guilty, I may never have to see him again."

"If I ever see him again, I might kill him."

"Then we'll have to keep that from happening," Stephanie replied and reached up behind her to cup his cheek.

Shawn took her hand and kissed the palm. "I love you," he said against her fingertips. She twisted halfway around to be able to look him in the eyes. "I can't believe I could have lost you last night. All I could think about was what my life would have been like without you. It didn't take much for me to realize I love you."

"Oh, Shawn," she whispered.

"If you don't feel the same, I under—"

Stephanie put a finger to his lips to stop him. "I love you too." Then she pulled him down for a kiss.

"Wanna take this in the bedroom?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Quicksilver should have been his name as he hopped out of the tub and ran a towel over his body. Stephanie stood up and he hungrily licked his lips as the drops of water ran down her skin. Grabbing another towel, he enveloped her body in its cottony softness and carried her into the bedroom. The two were not known for slow lovemaking, but this night was different as Shawn showed her his love and greedily drank up every part of her that he might not have been able to touch again if things had gone differently.

* * *

Shawn stayed with Stephanie and Therese until they released her. Stephanie had helped Therese struggle into a pair of shorts and t-shirt despite the woman's protests against help. Now, she sat on the edge of the bed, anxious to be out the door. The concussion, the throbbing in her head, hurt more than her leg and the only way for it to stop was to rest. She couldn't rest in a hospital and wanted to sleep in her own bed, a place she hadn't been in what felt like months. "What are you all gonna do without Bischoff on RAW?" 

"He's not going anywhere as far as I know," Shawn replied.

"What do you mean?" Therese exclaimed. "They let him walk away after all this! Did they let him out on bail?"

"Bail? What for?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"For setting up Colin Jenkins!"

"What exactly are you saying?" Shawn slowly asked but Stephanie knew full well what was going on. She reached up a hand to take Shawn's arm as Therese continued.

"Are you telling me that none of the guards or policeman heard his confession?" Both of them shook their heads with wide eyes. "I thought they didn't say anything about him because it was cut and dried," she muttered, more to herself than anything. Her eyes shot up and she demanded her cellphone. Stephanie scrambled for it and handed it over.

Therese first called Pendleton, who then called the police. Within half an hour, a police officer had arrived to take her statement about this "new" fact. Shawn had paced outside the door as if keeping the women inside safe from the man that had not yet been apprehended. Stephanie had tucked her feet up under in the chair and chewed on her bottom lip. She scolded herself for thinking about how this unfortunate incident could remedy her feud with Bischoff and be a boost for her show.

Shawn felt his place to be the protector of the two with Therese disabled and dared not let them out of his sight. Just hours before he put them both on a plane to New York, the call came in that Bischoff had been arrested at the airport on his way to Vancouver. All three breathed a sigh of relief.

When Shawn had accompanied them as far as possible, he hugged Therese as best as possible around her crutches. "Thank you, thank you so much for taking care of her. I'm so glad things didn't turn out any worse," he said and then released her. "I don't want this to be the last time I see you…or Mark, I mean, Evan."

"Same here," she said and smiled.

Then Shawn turned to Stephanie and held her so tight she almost couldn't breathe. "I love you. I'll see you before the end of the week."

"I love you too," she replied and lifted her head for her lips to be captured in a tender kiss. Shawn handed their carry-on luggage to Stephanie and watched them until they were out of sight.

TBC…

**

* * *

Author's Notes:** This is where I go way off from television canon. Everything will remain the same on SmackDown, but Vince McMahon will take over Eric Bischoff's place as General Manager and the RAW matches will continue the same. 


	29. Getting on with Life

**_Author's Notes: _**I know that this story has hit a few highs on the cheese-o-meter and I've tried to control them but the muse of all cheesiness hit in the epilogue. And I couldn't stop it! AAHHHH! Run before the Swiss put holes in you too!

**_Chapter XXIX: Getting on With Life _**

Stephanie refused to allow Therese out of the apartment late Monday morning and even threatened to take her crutches if she didn't stay. The blonde complied but attempted to start lunch the minute the other woman was out the door. Stephanie had called for a limo to bring Evan home from the airport in style. She couldn't wait to see his reaction since he was expecting only Therese.

Evan's face showed how tired the kid was from six weeks of camp but his stride showed the relief of returning home. His eyes swept the crowd for Therese who always stood out above most but, on a second glance, his gaze settled on Stephanie. He dropped his luggage and rushed into her outstretched arms. She ruffled his curly hair and exclaimed, "I didn't think you could get any darker. Look at your tan."

"They let us play basketball _outside_ every day, so it just happened," he excitedly explained.

"It makes you look _so_ handsome."

He blushed and starting looking around for his sister. "Where's Therese?"

"She's at home waiting for you, so let's go," Stephanie answered with a smile.

Evan gave her a crooked look and picked up his luggage. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you in the limo."

"You brought a limo for me?" Evan asked with wide eyes.

"Of course, I did," she answered, knowing she had delayed having to answer him.

When they were settled in the vehicle and moving, Stephanie gave him the rundown of what had happened and he rolled his eyes. "Not again," he muttered.

"Not again?"

"It's not the first time," the boy replied, shaking his head. "She's gonna have to quit this job or she won't be so lucky next time."

"I can tell you it'll be a little while before she gets back out there."

"If you were me, you wouldn't want her back out there at all," he stated and looked out the window.

Stephanie wasn't sure how to respond, so she decided to take his mind off it until they arrived home. "So tell me about camp, from start to finish."

Evan had yet to quit talking when he and Stephanie entered the apartment. Therese was lounged across the couch, her face a little pale. "Rese," Evan called and she muttered something, attempting to turn over on the couch. "Rese, you okay?" he said and pushed on her shoulder. She blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes to see him.

"Babe," she exclaimed and hugged him to her. "I'm so glad you're home."

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said, his voice choking a little.

"Oh, honey, I'm just fine. Don't worry about me."

"How can I not when you get shot, not once but twice! I don't want you doing this anymore."

"We'll talk about that later," Therese sternly replied but then softened her tone. "I made sandwiches for lunch—"

"You did what!" Both Stephanie and Evan yelled at her.

"I'm not an invalid," she replied. "But if you want to be that way, I'll just sit right here and you can bring me my lunch."

The siblings talked and napped through the rest of the day until RAW. Therese attempted to excuse herself but Evan protested and she couldn't resist his request for her to stay. She didn't want to see Kevin on television. He had made it obvious that he wanted nothing to do with her. Shawn and Stephanie had said nothing, confirming her beliefs. She thought she had seen him when she woke up in the hospital but he was gone when she finally struggled out of the fog of painkillers and her hopes had been dashed. After berating herself for the things she had done wrong Thursday night, Kevin had been all she could think of. How was she supposed to deal with the man she loved not returning her love anymore? She knew he had to be hurting from her lies but if only he would give her the chance to explain… It didn't matter. She would make it through her pity party and throw herself back into work and taking care of Evan. _This too shall pass, _she told herself constantly.

RAW began with a statement by Vince McMahon that Bischoff had been fired for his insubordinate attitude and that was the last his name was mentioned. The whole affair was swept under the table just like it had been on SmackDown! So little was known about what had happened that the show went as if Stephanie was only absent because she had been run over by A-Train.

Shawn Michaels dropped his bag at Kevin Nash's feet. The taller man looked and gave him a crooked smile and said, "How's it going? Just to let you know, I heard Jericho in the hall running his mouth about you."

"Don't act like nothing's happened," Shawn harshly replied.

"It's the best way to get on with life."

"I can't believe you. I have never met a more stubborn man in my life!"

"Yeah, well…" Kevin said and turned back to his own sports bag.

"Just a couple of weeks ago you wanted her to move in with you," Shawn said, waving his arms. "How many times in your life do you think you're going to a leggy, six-foot blonde fall in love with you because of who you are and not because you're a wrestler?"

"And how am I supposed to make a relationship work with a woman in New York?" Nash asked with a glare, standing up to tower over Shawn. "That's not to mention I don't know what was part of the truth and what was part of the job!"

"You fell in love with the true woman. It's the little stuff on the side that doesn't matter that she had to hide from you."

"Shawn, I don't want to talk about her here. We've got too much to worry about in the form of Jericho and Triple H," he replied, pointing at the lockerroom door.

"This is not over," Shawn said, pointing a finger at Kevin's chest. Somehow, the two banded together against their enemies and, before the night was over, they had been placed in an Elimination Chamber against Chris Jericho, Triple H, Randy Orton, and Goldberg.

* * *

Stephanie was settled in Therese's armchair, listening with interest to Evan's suggestions for SmackDown! as the show came on. She had decided to take one more week off. The exhaustion of the past few months had caught up with her and a mini-vacation was needed. She hadn't realized how tired she was from last Thursday's incident until her body had finally stopped moving when they arrived at Therese's apartment. The quaint apartment was so inviting and it felt good to help Therese out instead of worrying about her own self. Another week was needed to relax and formulate a game plan. Bischoff being the mastermind behind all the mess had thrown her off and, when she had lost to Sable, in an essence, she lost to her father. 

The show seemed to go well without her. She was impressed that the Undertaker cared to confront her father about what had happened to her at Vengeance. Unfortunately, he never got to as Funaki fetched McMahon to take him to Lesnar who had been laid out with a pipe. The main event was to be Vince versus Brock in a cage match with Kurt Angle as the guest referee. However, it turned out otherwise. Lesnar faked being hurt to attack Kurt and shown himself to be on Vince's side. Stephanie was enraged at her father. First he was obsessed with Hogan and now he had somehow turned one of the most dominant wrestlers to his side. She had to go back next week and battle back against the bastard.

"Evan, tell me what you think about this…" Stephanie began to get his opinion on a few things about the show.

* * *

Shawn made it into town Friday afternoon and met up with the three of them shortly after Therese's doctor appointment to have her stitches out. Everything was healing nicely but she still wasn't allowed to fully walk on the leg. None of them broached the subject of Kevin and Therese could see pity in their eyes for her. From their looks, she was a bit grateful to send Stephanie to stay with Shawn for the night. 

The brunette lay in his arms, physically satisfied but emotionally disturbed. "Do you think Kevin will lighten up and talk to her?"

"If I know him, he eventually will. I'm gonna beat him if he doesn't."

Stephanie chuckled a little then said, "I'm surprised you took it so well."

"I'm a little hurt that you couldn't trust me with what was going on but it's not worth getting into a fight or losing you over it. That one fight we had was so stupid and I don't want us to go through something like that again," Shawn explained and pulled her close.

"So you won't get in a fight with me over the fact that I'm going back to work to stand up my father. I'm going to put SmackDown! back in order and I'm starting with him."

"He's not afraid to physically hurt you," he pointed out as he raised up to look at her.

"Like I don't know that from past experience. I want you to know my plans because I want your support. I'm gonna need you to listen to me instead of telling me I shouldn't be fighting back,"

Shawn exhaled loudly. "I don't know if I can watch you get hurt."

"Please, Shawn," she pleaded.

"There's no way I can stop you, is there?" She shook her head in response. "I'm not happy about it but, since I have no choice, I'll be here for you because I love you."

"I love you too," she replied and pulled him down for a kiss.

When Shawn left Sunday night, Stephanie sat down with Therese to tell her she would be leaving tomorrow. "You have to do what you have to do," Therese said, surprised at herself for caring that much. "I can't believe this is over."

"I know," Stephanie sighed, "but, I have to go back and even the score."

"Of course, but it's just so weird now."

"Yeah, but we'll keep in touch. Every time we come through town, I'll get you and Evan tickets and backstage passes."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but it's like I'm saying 'goodbye' to my best friend," Therese said with a kidding smile.

Stephanie laughed and hugged the blonde to her. Evan had heard the conversation from the kitchen and edged down beside them on the sofa. The two women opened their arms and pulled him in too.

The next night, the siblings were alone for the first time in three and a half months watching RAW together. Evan nudged Therese on the thigh when Shawn and Kevin were shown on the screen. They were talking about Jericho's challenge to Nash for a hair versus hair match. Therese told herself she could care less about his decision but she was surprised that he took the chance and accepted. When Jericho took the ring and clarified the stipulations as that of Nash losing his hair and Chris losing his goatee, Kevin "nicely" made him agree to the standard hair versus hair match or Chris would lose his right there. It made for a nice giggle and then Evan asked, "Are you still gonna love him if he loses his hair?"

"Babe, I've got bad news."

"You broke up?" Evan asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," she drew out. "It's complicated and I'm so sorry."

"He'll be back."

"Honey, don't get your hopes up," Therese said and put an arm around his shoulders.

* * *

Stephanie took a deep breath when her father began SmackDown! by announcing "the real" Brock Lesnar. She had every intention of starting _her _show with her presence. The GM made her way through the halls and then asked for her music to be cued. She had never felt better in her life about a decision. Bischoff was out of her hair. He pled innocent at his arraignment and was denied bail, a hopeful sign that he wouldn't see the light of day for some time. The man had caused her more trouble than she had ever imagined and now SmackDown! would win out in the brand wars. Stephanie thought of how she could take the show up that extra notch now RAW would no longer possess without the conniving, back-stabbing, power-hungry, and obviously psychotic idiot. 

Smoothing a hand over her blue-jean skirt, the General Manager stepped out from behind the curtain and strutted to the ring with a glare on her face. "Maybe you came out here because you learned your lesson at Vengeance," Vince said with a leering grin.

"Yeah, I learned a lesson at Vengeance, Dad. I learned that you'll send a three hundred and fifty pound monster out to physically abuse your own daughter just so that your little slut could defeat me at Vengeance," Stephanie retorted.

"I had my reasons," he said, attempting to gloss over her comment.

"For your own sick demented amusement…or are you threatened because I have a position of power and you wanted to see if you could make me quit? 'Cause I'm not gonna quit, Dad. Until you fire me or until you listen to reason, I'm going to stand up to you because…as a father to Shane and I and as a husband to my mother, you are a piece of garbage." She carefully regarded Lesnar out of the corner of eye as he leered at her and edged closer and closer. "You're nothing," she shouted in Vince's face.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Are you trying to stand up to me? I don't take that kind of talk from any man alive, much less a woman. You know, I've got to say that you're a terrible disappointment, Stephanie, and maybe I am to you…When I put you in the position of General Manager of SmackDown, I thought for sure I could be proud of you and you would follow in my footsteps…It looks like maybe I made a bad investment, maybe the worse investment of my life. But—oh, no, no, no, that wouldn't be the worse investment, the worst investment of my life was the day I married your mother."

That was too much for Stephanie and she reared back to slap him but Lesnar caught her arm and forced her back before letting go. "So you wanna play rough tonight? You wanna get physical tonight? You accuse me of physical abuse? I'll show you physical abuse. Right here, in this very ring, tonight, you're gonna go one-on-one with the three-hundred and fifty pound A-Train." His music started and then he shouted at her, "That's physical abuse." She knew she must have look like a deer caught in headlights as she tried to digest this news.

Stephanie faced the match with her head up but unfortunately left with her head lying against the Undertaker's shoulder. The pain in her ribs and the throbbing in her head only served to drive her more. She had gotten a piece of Sable, once again showing that the blonde bimbo couldn't stand up to Stephanie's passion for revenge for the havoc the woman had caused in her life. Her father was next on her list. Shane was avenging her mother and now she was avenging WWE. She now had the closest thing to a family she would probably ever have again, along with a wonderful man she was a dating and a great friend that supported. She would stop at nothing. Even if she had to physically duke it out with her father herself, she would not bend to him and quit.

* * *

Therese quietly sat on the bench of the church and listened to the soothing tone of the service. She was still having trouble with her thigh and couldn't stand and kneel as much as the liturgy called for. It had been months since she had stepped foot in a church, except for Freddie Blassie's funeral, and she had found herself in the confessional, gushing about everything that had happened in that span and using the time as emotional and spiritual therapy. As the congregants stood to take part in the Eucharist, she reached for the cane that now replaced her crutches and fell into line. 

A pair of gold-brown eyes watched her every move. The man had lit two white candles after wandering into the small Catholic church and stood within the shadows of a pillar to watch an age-old service in which he had once devoutly participated in before his mother's death. He had not been to confession and could not in good conscience take communion. When the parishioners queued, his eyes lit on the tallest woman in the line. As she knelt and wobbled, an altar boy rushed over to grasp her arm and steady her. He helped her to stand and walked a few paces holding her elbow before letting go.

Therese was about to sit back down again when she caught sight of Kevin Nash, a man that could not easily blend in anywhere. At first, she thought she was seeing things as she had done the first week after he walked out on her but the image of him never faded. She made her way slowly over while he watched her through down-cast eyes. "What are you doing here?" she whispered and indicated that they move to the narthex so as not to disturb the rest of the service.

"I came to find you."

"You're good."

"I went to your apartment and, when you weren't there, I wasn't sure what to and I kind of wandered in here…" He trailed off, not about to admit that he had lost his nerve to apologize when she wasn't home and was about to get in his car and leave when he noticed the church and realized that he hadn't lit a candle for his parents this year.

"Obviously you know that I live only a block over, so you wanna go to my apartment and talk?"

"Yeah," he answered, glancing down at the floor and then over to her cane, "Do you need some help?"

"You're a little late for the 'help' part," she replied, not meaning for it to sound sarcastic as he held the door open for her.

"I deserved that."

"I didn't mean—"

"It's okay. I've been a little stupid the past couple of weeks," he interrupted and put his hand under her elbow. She started to shake it off but it had been too long since they last touched beyond him spearing her to the ground to take her Beretta away. Therese never expected to see him again. He had made it quite obvious by not getting in touch with her and neither Shawn nor Stephanie said a word about him, implying the same.

"Steph and Evan took care of me and I've still got Evan for another week before he goes back to school. I will be absolutely fine by then."

They lapsed into silence as Therese made slow progress down the sidewalk and into her building. To break the tension, she asked, "So what's with the platinum blonde hair?"

He laughed slightly. "I was trying something different and it didn't go the way I'd planned. Besides, if I lose it next week, no big deal."

"But I thought it was staying right where it is," she said, mocking him with a smile.

"That's my intention," he replied, placing his hand on the open elevator doors to wait for her.

Therese unlocked her apartment door, held it open for Kevin, and then offered him a drink. She left him to wonder around the living room, looking at the many pictures that adorned the room. Most were obviously of her family but there were a few of the four of them with Evan in the middle. A handful lay on one of the small tables and on top of the pile was the picture one of the Anaheim staff took of the two of them at the Stanley Cup play-offs. Shawn had told him more than once that she loved him and that he was never part of the ruse. He still couldn't help but think she was using him to feel out the RAW list of suspects.

When she came back into the room, Kevin took both glasses from her and she swept her arm at the couch, indicating he should take a seat. She settled down in the armchair and propped her injured leg up on the coffee table. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain why he was there.

"I came to apologize. I should have at least talked to _you _instead of just running away."

"Is that an apology for running away too?" Therese asked.

"I'm not one to beat around the bush. I don't know what to do about _us_. I don't really know you anymore."

She had rehearsed her response to him on many occasions, if there was ever a chance to use it. "I'm still me. I didn't lie to you as much as you think I did. I had to cover my trail to keep anyone from knowing who I really was. I don't live in Atlanta, I didn't go to college with Stephanie, Evan is my brother, I'm not a secretary. But you knew all that before you walked in the door. There's probably nothing else to tell you. What you see is what you get."

"Does that include me?" Kevin asked, holding her gaze.

"I know what you're thinking. I turned you down because I didn't want to have to lie to you but you were quite a persistent devil and before I knew it…I was head over heels. I wanted to tell you the truth and tried to come up with ways to tell you."

He regarded her words for a moment before slowly exhaling, "I don't know."

"What don't you know? Me? I'm not asking you to walk back into my life and everything be the same way it was before all this happened. Not that I wouldn't love for it to be…If you don't want to be with me, fine. If it's because I had to rearrange the truth of who I am to protect Stephanie, then you've got two options. You can kiss my ass for not caring or we can try this again, starting with every white lie I can remember telling."

Kevin's eyes stayed focused on the floor while she lectured and the guilt washed over him. His main intentions were to apologize and get answers to some questions. Subconsciously, he had to do it in person because he _wanted _to see her and had the hope that she wanted to see him. He set his glass down and rose to take hers before pulling her to her feet.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, caressing her face. "I don't know what else to say—"

"Then don't say anything," she replied. "Just kiss me." His lips descended on hers and she molded her body to his, relishing in the feel of having him back.

_**Epilogue**_

The French doors closing caught her attention and Therese yelled into the family room, "Evan, come help me please." When there was no response, she set the ladle down, turned off the stove, and pushed the pot of sauce onto a cold eye. "Evan—" she started, heading out of the kitchen, but her scowl turned into a smile. "You're home early!"

Kevin returned the smile and stepped around his duffle bag that just seen two and a half weeks of travel. "I just couldn't wait so I took another flight," he replied and pulled her into a gentle hug, nuzzling her neck. "How long do you think I can have you before anyone notices I'm home?"

"I don't know," she suggestively replied. "Evan should be home from basketball practice at any minute but with—" The phone ringing interrupted her and she went back to the kitchen where the closest phone was. Glancing at the callerID, she noticed it was the Chairman of WWE. "Hello, Mrs. McMahon-Michaels," she said.

"It's almost been a year. You can quit calling me that," Stephanie said with slight laugh.

"It took you so long to get married, I think I have every right to keep calling you that."

"Here, let me have her," Kevin whispered to Therese and carefully cradled the infant that was asleep on her shoulder.

"How much longer are you on maternity leave with Lily?" Stephanie asked.

"We talked about this last week."

"I just wanted to make sure."

"I've two months more before I go back," the blonde replied, now an employee with the Atlanta training facility of Pendleton's company, much to Evan's relief. "Why do you—" She stopped when Ruby, the usually highly lazy beagle, streaked by with a doll's dress hanging off her fat body. "Watch out," she warned Kevin. He turned in the direction from which the dog came in time to be smacked in the legs by a little brown-headed girl carrying baby booties.

"Daddy!" she shouted and Kevin scooped her up into his only free arm, hugging his two daughters to him.

"Is everything okay?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," she answered, "Dinah was attempting to dress Ruby for the _second _time today."

"I'm gonna wait until I'm as old as you were when you had her. I don't think I can handle one now," the brunette nervously laughed.

"You're almost there now."

"Don't remind me. Besides, I don't think I could handle one and deal with this."

"Deal with what?" Therese asked, a little worried at the sound of Stephanie's voice.

Kevin let Dinah slid down to the floor to take off after the dog again and caressed the blonde peach-fuzz on Lily's head as his wife's face went pale. She looked up at him and whispered, "Eric Bischoff made early parole and Steph got an anonymous letter today."

FINI (sorta)

**_

* * *

Author's Notes:_** I warned you about the epilogue being bad! If it makes it any better, just pretend that Bischoff got 5-10 years in prison and Kevin and Therese started dating again. 

First, I want to say that I'm writing an alternate ending to this story. I kind of wanted the mastermind to be someone else but I knew I would be in a lot of trouble if I did it. So, just for the benefit of my weird muse, I'm writing another ending that begins with the unveiling of the mastermind in chapter 28 and how I think it would unravel with this person at the helm. I'm not planning a sequel at this moment but I did leave it open just in case. It also depends on how many people want to see one.

Second, a BIG, BIG, WHOPPING thanks to all of my reviewers—lila, LeelooJinn, Tari Ciryatan, omarisangel04, AdaMacada, karisma, Jennifer Hyacinth, sugarshanesgirl, MutantXHottie, Shannon 1979, Jess 420, Latisha C, CenasHott, AngelRose82, Rawemotion, cerebralgoddess18, and y2Julia. I couldn't have done it without all of you, your input, and your inspiration. I would love for y'all to stick around for the alternate ending.


	30. 28A If You Won't, I Will

_Alternate Ending_

**Author's Notes:** This begins the alternate ending with another person as the mastermind instead of Eric Bischoff. It begins with Chapter 28 right after Therese's and Jenkins' confrontation.

**_Chapter XVIII (A): If You Won't, I Will_**

_"I don't believe you. Who set you up to do this?" Therese harshly asked. Jenkins said nothing. "I will shoot. Who are you working for?" He turned his head away from her. "Tell me now," she said slowly, enunciating each word carefully, and aimed the 9mm right above his head at a plywood box, firing off a shot. "Who!" she shouted._

"Shawn Michaels!"

"You lie," she screamed, struggling up to one knee and aiming between his legs.

"Look, lady," he shouted back, "I'm not gonna lie with you pointing that at my crotch."

_It can't be possible, _she thought and barely noticed Andrew Harrison turning the corner, along with a security guard and a policeman behind him. The officer immediately cuffed the stalker while the guard picked up the gun. Harrison quickly rushed to Therese's side, where she had slid down the wall to deal with the physical and emotional pain.

She raised her eyes to see several more people swarm into the hall and focused on one in particular, Shawn Michaels. One of the guards cordoning off the area stopped him and Therese tried to struggle away from Harrison, who was trying to tie a make-shift bandage around her thigh. "It was Shawn Michaels," she stated through clenched teeth. As she said his name, the wrestler rushed away.

"What was Michaels?" the guard asked.

"Shawn set Jenkins up to it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll go get him if you won't," she ground out and pushed Harrison away. She tried to stand and only managed one wobbly step before one of the paramedics caught her. "Let me go. I have to save Steph…" She gulped down a breath of air and feebly pushed at the man holding her. "Harrison," she shouted and breathed heavily. "Shawn Michaels paid Jenkins to stalk her…" The blonde nailed the EMT's shin with her foot when no one made a move to go after him. She was instantly on her back with Harrison holding her down on one side and the uninjured paramedic on the other. "Please listen to me," she cried to the security guard, pleading with her eyes. When the other EMT turned to her with a syringe, she struggled as hard as she could against them but they held her tighter. "It was Shawn…" she trailed off as the needle pricked her arm and she drifted off into blackness.

* * *

When Shawn saw Therese's eyes light on his and speak his name, he knew from the look on her face and the tone of her voice that she had gotten Jenkins to confess. After learning her true identity, he had to stop her or at least keep Colin from talking. Now, he had few precious minutes to get Stephanie out of the building. The police officer outside of her office door had just received the news that the stalker was caught and Shawn immediately offered to tell Stephanie. With the man out of sight, he burst into the office. "Steph, we have to go now! The guy shot Therese and got loose!"

"Where are the police? I'll go to them! Is Therese okay?"

"They let her get shot! _I'm _taking you away from here," he said, grabbing her by the arm. She reached for her purse as he dragged her to the door.

"Is Therese still alive?" she demanded, stopping dead still, causing her to stumble along under his pull.

"I don't know. Maybe," Shawn replied, jerking her forward by her arm.

"What?" The tears started welling up in her eyes.

"You'll be next if I don't get you out of here."

"Where are we going?" she asked, climbing into the rental car.

"I don't know," he honestly responded. This was not supposed to happen and now he was running on the fly. Plans had been to bring her back to her room alone after the show. Taking her there now might buy him some more time and Therese would definitely not be there any time soon. "I guess we'll go to your hotel room until I think of something."

Stephanie was quiet as the news began to sink in. Therese was injured and she didn't know how badly. The stalker was still on the loose and possibly coming for her. Her heart beat so loudly in her ears that she hardly heard the crack of thunder. The heavens opened and the rain poured down so hard that Shawn could barely see how to drive. He had to concentrate on maneuvering the vehicle instead of what to do next.

* * *

Kevin had heard the last gunshot and rushed in the direction from which he had hoped it came. Other people were moving in the direction and he followed them. From his height advantage, he could see officers pulling a cuffed man to his feet that Kevin assumed was the stalker. Pushing through the crowd, he came upon another guard attempting to keep people out. His eyes swept the area and caught sight of Therese who was being held up by a paramedic. There was blood everywhere on the floor and a wide piece of cloth wrapped around her leg with red stains seeping through. He heard her shout a man's name, followed by "Shawn Michaels paid Jenkins to stalk her…" When she lashed out at the paramedic, a hefty woman and a man pinned her to the ground. The guard holding people back didn't stand a chance against the giant as he pushed by him. He couldn't make it to her to stop the man administering the sedative.

When Therese went limp, Harrison left her to the paramedics to confront Nash. Others had trailed after him and now the head security guard held up his hand to let them know Kevin was okay to be there. Andrew knew who Nash was and that he had been unwisely asked to help. "What did you just do to her?" Kevin demanded.

"She went ballistic and started attacking people. For her safety and ours, we had to do that."

"Did you listen to a word she said?" Kevin said, gesturing at her while the EMTs carefully loaded her onto a stretcher.

"She kept saying Shawn Michaels was the man behind Jenkins."

"Are you going to act on it?"

"When I turn that information over to the police, I'm sure they will," Harrison sternly replied. The snort behind them caused the two to turn around where Jenkins was being held by the officers. Kevin took a swing at him and several other men rushed over to restrain him as Jenkins laughed and worked his jaw loose from where he had been hit.

"Who do you believe?" the stalker growled. "Your best friend or your girlfriend…or the man who told her," he added with a leer.

Kevin struggled against those who held him. Harrison, a man only a half of a foot shorter than Nash, forcefully stated, "The wise decision would be to go with Miss Blair to the hospital and leave the rest of this up to the police."

When the guards released him, Kevin blocked the way of the paramedics and began fumbling around the blanket that covered the unconscious woman. They tried to stop him but he yelled, "I'm getting her things from her pockets." Fearing him, the man and woman backed off. He fished in her suit pockets until he pulled out her cellphone and hotel key. With a glare at everyone around him, he stalked off. Whether or not Shawn did it, he had to find him.

Instead of searching the arena for the missing man, Kevin immediately checked to see if their rental car was in the parking lot. Asking the guards at the garage door, he learned that Shawn and Stephanie had left together mere minutes ago. He had no idea what to think and leaned up against the wall outside the side door to the lot. Therese had turned his world upside down and now she was accusing Shawn of paying that man to stalk Stephanie. Was she trying to destroy his life…or was she telling the truth? He knew Shawn far longer than Therese and would have trusted him over her. If the police were going after Shawn, he needed to warn him. If he was running, it was because he was innocent and didn't know what to do. Kevin had to convince him to give himself up and they would work through this accusation. But the words of the stalker seemed to imply otherwise.

A car pulling into the arena caught his attention and the guard sauntered over to give the person approval to park. When he did, Kevin noticed it was John Cena and remembered Therese had mentioned that Cena had a thing for Stephanie. He was instantly at John's door when he climbed out of the car with a wary look.

"Listen to me, man," Kevin began. "Stephanie was taken from the arena after she was attacked by this stalker. Let me have your car to try to find her."

"Are the police doing something about this?" Cena asked, a look of surprise widening his features.

"Not yet."

"I'm going with you," the shorter man replied and got back into the car.

"Two of us will scare him off. Stephanie wouldn't want you getting hurt too."

"I'm not staying—"

"You will. Give me your keys," Kevin interrupted, pulling himself up to his full height and towering over Cena.

"Here," John said with a scowl, handing Nash the keys. "I _will _be getting a call to let me know what happens?"

"Yeah," Kevin replied and slid into the car.

* * *

"Shawn, I think we need to let _someone _know we're here," Stephanie said, wringing her hands when he returned to her with his suitcase.

"No," he abruptly answered. After seeing her shocked look, he added, "If anybody knows, he might find you. Are you done packing?"

"Yes, but, Shawn, I don't understand. This guy has apparently been trying to get at me for over three months. I've been under his nose all along. Why would he try anything here and you with me?"

"He assaulted you and shot Therese. Steph, was tonight not enough for you?"

"I will go with you, but I have to check on her," she replied and dug through her purse for her cellphone. Shawn instantly grabbed it from her. "What are you doing?"

"Who did you plan on calling? She's probably at the hospital in surgery."

"Can we call Kevin to check on her? We can trust Kevin. He won't tell anyone where we're going."

"Stephanie," he sternly replied, "we can't call _anyone._"

"Why?"

"Because that's the way it has to be!" he loudly answered, turning narrowed eyes on her.

"Shawn, what are you not telling me?" she asked, planting her hands on her hips.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You aren't answering any of my questions. You're trying to get me out of here when this," she gestured around the room, "this has worked for me and Therese in the way of security. What is going on?"

"I'm in charge now. We do things my way."

"Well, excuse me," she sarcastically replied.

Shawn advanced on her and threw her down on the bed, pinning her underneath him. "You ask too many questions."

"What is wrong with you?" she shouted at him. He raised up and backhanded her. She was so stunned she lay there in silence.

"What is wrong? Jenkins screwed everything up. Therese Blair stuck her nose in my business," Shawn angrily answered. Stephanie struggled to get out from under him and he released her, only to stand in the small hall leading to the door. "He was supposed to keep her from interfering. I guess that's what you get for messing with a bodyguard."

Stephanie was beginning to regain her composure and asked, "Why do you know all this?"

"Because I set it all up!" Stephanie sucked in her breath and stumbled off the bed, cowering in the corner. "Yeah, it was me. I hired Colin Jenkins and the bastard didn't do what I paid him for."

"Why?" she asked through her sobs.

"I hired him to scare the hell out of you and send you running to me."

"B-but you-you had m-me," she stammered out.

"I wanted to dominate you, own you, then parade you in front of Triple H. But you wouldn't fold. You wouldn't come to me for one damn thing over what Jenkins did. Not one thing! He was supposed to rough you up enough to send you crying at my feet," Shawn replied, gesturing wildly.

He ranted about having the need to take everything away from Triple H, including her, to get his revenge on the man. When he moved on to how he thought he had feelings for her a couple of times but was obviously wrong, Stephanie had finally been able to control her crying. She was now trying to determine a way out of the room. He was scaring her to death and she was more fearful for her safety now than when Jenkins held a gun to her head. Her eyes lit on the adjoining door to Therese's room. It was pushed to but not latched. She wondered if she could dart out and make it through before Shawn caught her. She dashed for the door but Shawn met her there and threw her aside. "I don't think so," he angrily replied and started to slam the door but it flew open, smashing into his face.

Kevin Nash stepped through the door and picked Shawn up by his shirt, pulling the shorter man up to his level. "I don't think so either," Kevin said, dropping him and then punching him in the gut. Stephanie had grabbed the vase from the table and now smashed it into the back of Shawn's head, causing him to fall to his knees. Kevin pulled him back up and punched in the nose, which was bleeding already. Shawn fell backward to floor and didn't move. "You okay, Steph?" She nodded as he pulled out a phone to dial the police.

The officer on duty at the hotel was immediately up and had a groggy Shawn in handcuffs. He said nothing, knowing better than to incriminate himself in front of an officer of the law. Kevin pulled Stephanie into Therese's room to make certain she was alright. She assured him and then asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"Therese figured it out for me and—"

"Is she alright?"

"I think so," he replied, running a hand through his hair that had been drenched in the thunderstorm. "When I left her, she was fighting off paramedics and policemen to try to find you since no one else would listen to her about Shawn."

"Shawn said he wasn't sure if she was still alive," Stephanie bit out, her anger for Michaels.

"Oh, she was alive alright until they sedated her. I think Jenkins hurt her pretty bad though. As soon as we're done here, we'll go see her, okay?" Kevin said and pushed a lock of Stephanie's hair behind her ear.

"You're not done with the story."

"Right. Anyhow, I kinda carjacked John Cena…" He had to hold in the laugh from the look of surprise on Stephanie's face. "…well, he let me have the car. We have to call him and let him know you're alright. I didn't know if I should believe anything that Jenkins said about Shawn but, either way, I had to find him and warn him or stop him from hurting you farther. I remembered Shawn told me he had plans for you and him to spend some time _alone _in your room and to not bring Therese back here. On a hunch, I came here immediately. I used Therese's key to sneak in and I heard him tell you his intentions. When he made a move, I made a move."

"Thank you," she whispered and he hugged her to him. They immediately pulled apart when an officer called Stephanie's name and appeared in the doorway.

Kevin offered to talk to the police first while the brunette made a call to Cena. "John, it's Stephanie McMahon…thanks for letting Kevin_ take _your car…no, everything's not exactly okay, but I'm okay…Don't worry about me…We'll get your car back to you…If I don't see you tonight, I'll see you next week."

Stephanie replaced the phone in her purse and lay across the bed. Hearing Therese's name in the other room, she pulled out the phonebook and called one of the hospitals listed. They refused to tell her anything until Stephanie declared herself the woman's sister and gave them enough of her personal information. Then, all they could tell her was that Therese was indeed there in the emergency room, alive, and in good condition, but the doctors were with her now and no more information was available.

By the time she was off the phone, Kevin was back into the room with her. "They need us to go down to the police station and give official statements," he explained, again running a hand through his hair.

She closed her eyes and dropped her head. "I guess I don't have a choice." He shook his head in response. "Alright," she sighed, collected her things, and riffled through Therese's until she found a file on her case.

Stephanie flipped through the folder while she and Kevin waited. When she was called into a bare office and sat down with a tape recorder, she was able to keep her emotion in check as she explained everything, from top to bottom after the arrival of the first letter. When asked about Pendleton, she was able to give them all the information needed to contact him.

Not that the rain had stopped, the two stood in the wet parking lot, leaning against their respective cars. "Come with me to the hospital?" Stephanie asked.

"I don't know. I have to think about things."

"Meaning Therese?"

He nodded and explained, "Things are completely different between us. I've lost my girlfriend and my best friend in one day."

"I lost a lover and a friend today. Albeit, it was one person. I understand," she replied and placed a hand on his arm.

"Did she use me?" he bluntly asked. Stephanie's eyes went wide at the question. "Was I a way to get to Shawn or whoever she thought it was?"

"No, of course not. She never once mentioned Shawn as a suspect."

"I feel like I was part of the job."

"Shawn and I…" She faltered in her words. "…worked so hard to get you two together. She was so afraid that she wouldn't be able to do her job if you were dating. She agonized over telling you the truth."

"You're not telling me this to make-up for Shawn?" Kevin asked, staring into her blue eyes.

"No, I promise. I wish you could tell me something to make-up for him. But for now, you can tell me you won't leave Therese for starters. At least hear her out," she replied.

"Steph…" he sighed and looked like he was about to cry. Seeing him, her face screwed up as tears begin to stream down her cheeks and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. "Don't cry, Steph, I'll listen to whatever she has to say."

"No, it's just…" She took a deep breath to try to control her sobs. "Shawn…Therese…."

No other words were needed and he hugged her back to him. If he knew how he felt, he might have cried too, but everything inside was numb. He was more in shock over Shawn and feeling a bit guilty that he hadn't seen this coming. Therese was another matter. He didn't even know if that was her real name. Stephanie put his worries aside about her just using him but the ache that began to develop inside was wondering what kind of woman she really was.

When Stephanie was ready to leave, they returned Cena's car to the arena. She debated on hunting him down but the show was over and the wrestlers were streaming out of the back to their respective vehicles. She wasn't in the mood to be confronted by Sable, her father, or A-Train. The two quickly climbed into the limo and she instructed the driver to take them to the hospital.

Kevin sat across from her on the plush seat, worrying a small piece of paper through his fingers. He looked down at Therese's handwriting and blurted out, "Tell me the truth about Therese."

Stephanie looked up at him, jarred from her own thoughts. She too was numb on the inside but her skin on the outside was crawling with the feel of Shawn Michaels' body. He had known her in some of the most intimate ways that she considered only a caring man would know. Hunter's idea of sex was kinky but Shawn's was just classic, fulfilling sex. _She_ was satisfied when they were done. The thought of his hands roaming her body now made her sick at her stomach. She hadn't told him she loved him yet because she was waiting for the right time. Obviously, he had never loved her but loved the thought of using her to manipulate her ex-husband. She had fallen for his tricks but at least she had the saving grace of not falling for his ultimate plan. Now, more than anything, she was glad that Therese had stopped her from confiding in him about her situation. The thought of how many times they had been alone caused her to shiver. At any one point in time, he could have "dominated," "owned" her, as he so eloquently put it.

All Stephanie wanted to do was not think about it and make sure Therese would be fine. She wasn't prepared to tell her story to Kevin when he asked. How much the other woman wanted him to know was up to her but Stephanie was afraid that if she didn't tell him the entire truth he would refuse to see her. With a short laugh after remembering how much they had rubbed each other the wrong way on the first day they had met, she began, "I was introduced to Therese when Shane insisted I see someone in security about the letters…"

TBC…

**

* * *

Author's Notes: **Eric Bischoff hiring the stalker was more fun to write but I couldn't help but want it to be someone that generally would expect and do something that most fanfic writers won't do—the love interest turned villain. Apologies to those of you who have. 

The sequel is a BIG "iffy." It's been so hard writing two stories at one time for almost a year and I have a couple of other projects I've put off to write these. If the muse strikes, I know that I won't be able to ignore her for long.


	31. 29A Comfort from the Least Likely of Peo...

**Author's Notes: **Some things in this chapter may overlap the original ending. I'm treating this as if the last two original chapters don't exist. Part of the story doesn't change either way. Also, the epilogue is still cheesy, but not half as cheesy as the first one.

**_Chapter XXIX (A): Comfort from the Least Likely of People_**

Stephanie left Kevin behind in a rush as she stepped out of the elevator on Therese's floor. Not bothering to knock on the door, she shoved it open to find the other woman asleep in the bed. She hardly looked like she was battling for her life, so Stephanie debated on whether she should wake her up or ask a nurse about her condition. Instead, she turned to set her purse on one of the shelves in the room and shrug out of her designer rain slicker.

Stephanie's debate was over when she turned back around to see Therese's eyes focused on Kevin, who was now at her bedside. The blonde heavily blinked and whispered his name. Every bit of anger he had about her lying to him faded and he ran his palm across her cheek. "Everything's okay now," he softly said and kissed her forehead.

Therese attempted to turn her head to see Stephanie but she was too disoriented from the aftereffects of the anesthesia. The brunette shifted around the bed and laid a hand on Therese's arm. "You're okay," Therese croaked out.

"Kevin took care of me. It's all over now," she replied and squeezed the other woman's arm.

Kevin noticed Therese's eyelids struggling to stay open as she asked what had happened. "It doesn't matter now. Just go to sleep and we'll talk later."

"Love you," she replied and drifted off without a reply from him.

Stephanie chose to stay with Therese while Kevin hunted down a nurse to get a prognosis on her. "Visiting hours are over," the woman explained. "Unless you are immediate family, I'll have to ask you to leave. Your name?" Then his identity registered on her face. "You're that wrestler…Oh, um, shoot, I can't remember your name, but my son loves you."

"Kevin Nash."

"Right. Can I have your autograph?" she asked, pulling open drawers to find paper. Kevin smiled at her and scribbled a special note and his name on hospital stationary.

"Now, if you'll let me know about Therese, I'll be going back to her room," he said, still smiling at her, assuming he had just bought his visiting pass.

"Not unless you're immediate family. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm…her husband."

"Right," she said, this time sarcastically. "Your last names are different. Your wedding band?"

If the woman didn't remember his name, she definitely wouldn't know he wasn't on SmackDown! "I'm not wearing it because I had to wrestle tonight. We're just married and she hasn't had a chance to change her last name." He couldn't believe the stuff he was making up on the spot.

"Okay," she replied, eyeing him warily. "She took two bullets to the thigh. Both missed the bone. The wounds were clean and her muscles weren't ripped, so it's nothing that time and a little physical therapy won't fix. She probably has a mild concussion but we'll run tests on her tomorrow to determine that."

Kevin thanked the woman and returned to give Stephanie, Therese's "sister," the news. The two took turns staying with her until she was released on Saturday. He acted as if nothing had happened with Shawn, barring the fact that he never once said his name. Through the haze of painkillers, Therese attempted to comfort Stephanie but the brunette was too busy fussing over her.

Kevin and Stephanie took it upon themselves to decide what to do for Therese instead of burdening her with the problem. Kevin took the initiative in staying with her but Stephanie was quick to mention that RAW might consider him in league with Shawn if he didn't show up. He agreed to go for that reason and dispel any rumors that were probably already floating around. Plus, he was looking to work off some of his aggression against anyone that dared get in his way.

* * *

Stephanie refused to allow Therese out of the apartment late Monday morning and even threatened to take her crutches if she didn't stay while she went to pick up Evan. The blonde complied but attempted to start lunch the minute the other woman was out the door. Stephanie had called for a limo to bring him home from the airport in style. She couldn't wait to see his reaction since he was expecting only Therese. 

Evan's face showed how tired the kid was from six weeks of camp but his stride showed the relief of returning home. His eyes swept the crowd for Therese who always stood out above most but, on a second glance, his gaze settled on Stephanie. He dropped his luggage and rushed into her outstretched arms. She ruffled his curly hair and exclaimed, "I didn't think you could get any darker. Look at your tan."

"They let us play basketball _outside_ every day, so it just happened," he excitedly explained.

"It makes you look _so_ handsome."

He blushed and starting looking around for his sister. "Where's Therese?"

"She's at home waiting for you, so let's go," Stephanie answered with a smile.

Evan gave her a crooked look and picked up his luggage. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you in the limo."

"You brought a limo for me?" Evan asked with wide eyes.

"Of course, I did," she answered, knowing she had delayed having to answer him.

When they were settled in the vehicle and moving, Stephanie gathered her composure, because talking about Shawn still hurt in the hollow of her chest, and gave Evan the rundown of what had happened. The shocked look on his face said everything. He may have run his mouth off about Shawn before he ever met him, but he had always held respect for him. After spending two weeks with him, Evan had been so star struck he couldn't imagine having any other favorite wrestlers besides Shawn and Kevin, the Undertaker not-withstanding. Nothing could ever dislodge the dark man from his place at the top of the list. Even though he knew he couldn't stand a chance, he wanted to get his hands on Shawn for even considering hurting Stephanie, his favorite woman ever in wrestling. "Are you gonna be okay?" he quietly asked her. "I know you were like going steady…"

Stephanie inwardly laughed at "going steady," a term she couldn't remember the last time she had heard. "I'll be fine, sweetie."

"I just can't believe it."

"No one can."

"And Therese is really okay?" Stephanie nodded. "I can't believe it happened again," he said, more to himself than to her.

"Again?"

"It's not the first time," the boy replied, shaking his head. "She's gonna have to quit this job or she won't be so lucky next time."

"I can tell you it'll be a little while before she gets back out there."

"If you were me, you wouldn't want her back out there at all," he stated and looked out the window.

Stephanie wasn't sure how to respond, so she decided to take his mind off it until they arrived home. "So tell me about camp, from start to finish."

The request wasn't enough to take his mind off of things and he relayed a few events to her and remained quiet until they arrived at the apartment. Therese was lounged across the couch, her face a little pale. "Rese," Evan called and she muttered something, attempting to turn over on the couch. "Rese, you okay?" he said and pushed on her shoulder. She blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes to see him.

"Babe," she exclaimed and hugged him to her. "I'm so glad you're home."

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said, his voice choking a little. "Shawn could have hurt you at any time."

"But he didn't. It's okay now."

"No, it's not! You were _shot _twice this time! I don't want you doing this anymore."

"We'll talk about that later," Therese sternly replied but then softened her tone. "I made sandwiches for lunch—"

"You did what!" Both Stephanie and Evan yelled at her.

"I'm not an invalid," she replied. "But if you want to be that way, I'll just sit right here and you can bring me my lunch."

* * *

Kevin arrived Tuesday afternoon and Stephanie left the following day. She was homesick and now Therese had two guys there who could look after her. Shane and Linda had quickly heard about what happened and had been begging her to come home since Friday. Shane had even set Marissa on her but only his wife would understand why Stephanie had to stay with Therese. 

She was torn between remaining there and going home. The exhaustion of the past few months had caught up with her and a mini-vacation was needed. She hadn't realized how tired she was from last Thursday's incident until her body had finally stopped moving when they arrived at Therese's apartment. The quaint apartment was so inviting and it felt good to help Therese out instead of worrying about her own self. Another week was needed to relax and formulate a game plan. If she went home, her family would do nothing but fuss over her…_but would that really be so bad, _she thought to herself.

Therese tried to go with Stephanie to the airport but she would have nothing of it. So they said their goodbyes in Therese's living room. The two were already emotional over the events of the past week, so Evan and Kevin stayed out of their way until the two had quit crying. Therese handed Stephanie tissues from the end table and they attempted conversation, this time without the tears. "Promise me you won't be alone," the blonde stated. "You need someone with you so you won't think about what happened."

"I'll have my family and you know how they are," Stephanie replied and Therese weakly smiled. "You promise me that you'll let these fabulous men take care of you." She said this loud enough for the guys to hear since they were hiding in Evan's bedroom playing video games.

"As much as you all think I can't do anything for myself even though I can, I still promise."

"I'll come see you when you're completely better and we'll keep in touch. Every time we come through town, I'll get you and Evan tickets and backstage passes."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but it's like I'm saying 'goodbye' to my best friend," Therese stated with a kidding smile.

* * *

"We've got the apartment to ourselves," Kevin said, handing Therese a glass of water and her medication. 

"Evan asleep?"

"Yeah."

"He's a big boy. You don't have to tuck him in," she said before taking the pills.

"I didn't exactly," he replied and sat down on the cushion beside her. "He fell asleep watching that history of the nWo tape. I was just gonna pop in and tell him what it was exactly like instead of that bullcrap they're tellin'im."

"How many times have you called him 'Mark' and he's actually answered to it?" she asked with a facetious smile.

"More than I can count."

"Does that bother you?" Therese asked, looking down at her hands.

"That he answers to it or that he's your brother?"

"Kevin, we've not really talked. I assume that you're okay with me since you're here…or do you feel somehow it's your duty to take care of an injured woman?"

"Stephanie told me everything and I am hurt…to an extent. I feel like you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth, but I know why you didn't. It was probably best that you didn't," Kevin said, breathing out heavily and pausing before continuing, "It was the little things that made me fall in love with you. Being a sports fanatic, sleeping in jerseys instead of girly stuff, not being afraid to go out in public without make-up, the crazy things you supposedly did in college—"

"If I told you the story, whatever I did in it, that was the truth," she replied, matter-of-factly. "I just did some name swapping for everybody else. The little things are what I didn't lie about. I'm still me."

"Even when you're drugged up, you're still you," he replied. Noting the worried look on her face, he added, "You didn't tell on yourself too much." She groaned, only imagining what she could possibly have said. "I guess we'll be moving in together in my house when you're completely healed," Kevin added and put an arm around her.

"What?" she asked, pulling away from him.

"That's what you told me…in a drug-induced state," he said and smiled but then his face grew serious. "The fact that you aren't Stephanie's assistant and you don't live in Atlanta and that Evan is your brother doesn't change the fact that I love you. That offer still stands."

"But what about Evan?"

"He doesn't want you going back to work and he has adamantly told me that. I don't know if he was hinting at something on purpose but he talked about Atlanta a lot and told me about when y'all were down there."

"You know about the training facility?" Therese asked suspiciously.

Kevin nodded his head. "It's perfect. Evan wants to go back to Atlanta and you can technically still keep your job or the part that he approves of. _And _I can still have you," he said softly, pulling her to him again.

"It looks like you've got all this planned."

"I've thought about it more than you think. I can have you moved in before school starts in two weeks."

"It's a big decision and it's late. Let me think about it after I talk to my boss and my brother…just to make sure there's no any undue influence on him," she added the last part with a smile.

"Maybe I should send some undue influence your way," he replied and took her mouth in a long, sensuous kiss.

* * *

Stephanie settled into the recliner in her mother's living room to watch SmackDown! Linda had corralled her in the McMahon home, especially since she knew Vince wouldn't be setting foot there while he was holed up with Sable. Stephanie wasn't bothered by her mother's attention as she worked through the emotions she was feeling. Not only did she need to keep up with the show but watching it would help her begin to return back to a normal life…_if that's possible, _she thought. Either way, she had to return with a game plan since this entire mess had thrown her off and, when she had lost to Sable, in an essence, she lost to her father. 

The show seemed to go well without her, just as it had last week. She was impressed that the Undertaker cared to confront her father about what had happened to her at Vengeance. Unfortunately, he never got to as Funaki fetched McMahon to take him to Lesnar who had been laid out with a pipe. The main event was to be Vince versus Brock in a cage match with Kurt Angle as the guest referee. However, it turned out otherwise. Lesnar faked being hurt to attack Kurt and shown himself to be on Vince's side. Stephanie was enraged at her father. First he was obsessed with Hogan and now he had somehow turned one of the most dominant wrestlers to his side. With nothing to lose, she had to go back next week and battle back against the bastard.

Exactly one week later, Stephanie took a deep breath when her father began SmackDown! by announcing "the real" Brock Lesnar. She had every intention of starting _her _show with her presence. The GM made her way through the halls and then asked for her music to be cued. After how much she had been through, her father didn't scare her anymore and she was going out there to tell him that. Smoothing a hand over her blue-jean skirt, the General Manager stepped out from behind the curtain and strutted to the ring with a glare on her face. "Maybe you came out here because you learned your lesson at Vengeance," Vince said with a leering grin.

"Yeah, I learned a lesson at Vengeance, Dad. I learned that you'll send a three hundred and fifty pound monster out to physically abuse your own daughter just so that your little slut could defeat me at Vengeance," Stephanie retorted.

"I had my reasons," he said, attempting to gloss over her comment.

"For your own sick demented amusement…or are you threatened because I have a position of power and you wanted to see if you could make me quit? 'Cause I'm not gonna quit, Dad. Until you fire me or until you listen to reason, I'm going to stand up to you because…as a father to Shane and I and as a husband to my mother, you are a piece of garbage." She carefully regarded Lesnar out of the corner of eye as he leered at her and edged closer and closer. "You're nothing," she shouted in Vince's face, thinking about he had cared less to check on her after the assault a week ago. He had been informed of everything and she knew it, but he chose to ignore what was buzzing around in the press.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Are you trying to stand up to me? I don't take that kind of talk from any man alive, much less a woman. You know, I've got to say that you're a terrible disappointment, Stephanie, and maybe I am to you…When I put you in the position of General Manager of SmackDown, I thought for sure I could be proud of you and you would follow in my footsteps…It looks like maybe I made a bad investment, maybe the worse investment of my life. But—oh, no, no, no, that wouldn't be the worse investment, the worst investment of my life was the day I married your mother."

That was too much for Stephanie and she reared back to slap him but Lesnar caught her arm and forced her back before letting go. "So you wanna play rough tonight? You wanna get physical tonight? You accuse me of physical abuse? I'll show you physical abuse. Right here, in this very ring, tonight, you're gonna go one-on-one with the three-hundred and fifty pound A-Train." His music started and then he shouted at her, "That's physical abuse." She knew she must have look like a deer caught in headlights as she tried to digest this news.

Stephanie had felt hopeless before walking out there to confront her father and now it was the same regarding her match. Looking back over why she had come to the ring, she was feeling stupid. _What exactly did I think I was going to accomplish, _she asked herself. It didn't matter to her what happened anymore. The high she had been feeling by coming back with a plan had been deflated. She didn't stand a chance against her father's power and influence. She had her head lying on her desk when a knock sounded at the door and a familiar voice called her name. "Come in," she shouted and stood, running her fingers through her hair. "John, I'm glad you came by." He had called her a couple of times and left messages, but she hadn't found the will to call him back, much like everything else in her life except for getting back to work.

Cena grinned at her and offered a hug and she wasted no time in embracing him. "How's Therese?"

"She's progressing as good as anybody can when they've had two bullet holes put in them," she answered.

"Good, but how about you?"

She managed a weak smile, not having the energy to mask her depression. "I'll make it."

"You look so terrible."

"Thanks," she sarcastically replied.

"That's not what I mean. You don't look as good as you normally do," he quickly said, trying to cover for the bad choice of words. "You know what I mean."

"I know you care, John. That's sweet," she replied, putting a hand on his arm but then withdrawing when his skin was hotter than she expected. To her, Shawn Michaels may as well have died two weeks ago. She had not finished mourning him and now she was feeling extremely guilty for feeling this attraction towards Cena. It hadn't always necessarily been there but it was evident in their banter in the ring that one time, even though she wouldn't admit it since she was struggling through what she thought was a betrayal by Shawn.

"The point is, I don't believe your 'I'll make it.' Steph, I'm here if you need me."

Before Stephanie knew it, she was spilling all of her frustrations out about her father. "I just don't care what happens out there," she sighed and plopped her head down in her hands.

"Don't think that way. You have to keep fighting," he said and she looked back up at him. "I may have only been here a couple of years but I know you're a fighter and you won't be walked on. You're stubborn—and that's a compliment. You were so determined before…before…"

"Before I found out that Shawn Michaels hired someone to stalk me," she finished for him, amazed as to how "normal" and caring John seemed to be as he stood in her office, attempting to comfort her. "It's okay. You can say it."

"I know you're having a lot of trouble dealing with that."

"Is it that obvious?" she asked and he nodded. "I just want to get on with life."

"Then keep doing what you're doing. Fight back against your dad…and let me take you out to get your mind off of these things."

It had only been two weeks and she didn't want him to be some rebound guy. Then again, going out with him would be getting on with her life. "Okay," she said, assuming she wouldn't be able to walk after tonight's match. "I'll be in town for another night. Dinner tomorrow?"

A surprised Cena nodded. "That'd be great. Pick you up at your hotel at seven?" She smiled and squeezed his arm. "Thanks for the talk."

John opened the door and turned around and said, "Any time. Just remember, nobody dominates Stephanie McMahon and gets away with it if she has anything to say about it."

_Did he use the word 'dominate'? _she thought. _That's exactly what Shawn said he had wanted to do to me._ He had been arraigned, pleaded innocent, and denied bail but, even from jail, he was still dominating her. If she caved, he would be winning. _No, I have to stand up, _she firmly told herself.

Stephanie faced the match with her head up but unfortunately left with her head lying against the Undertaker's shoulder. The pain in her ribs and the throbbing in her head only served to drive her more. She had gotten a piece of Sable, once again showing that the blonde bimbo couldn't stand up to Stephanie's passion for revenge for the havoc the woman had caused in her life. Her father was next on her list. Shane was avenging her mother and now she was avenging WWE. Even if she had to physically duke it out with her father herself, she would not bend to him and quit. She would stop at nothing.

_**Epilogue**_

Stephanie handed the large gold band to Therese and watched as she slipped it on Kevin's finger. To her, they were a striking pair with Therese in a modest but elegant white dress that brushed the floor and Kevin in a jet-black tuxedo, his hair beginning to brush his shoulders as he let it grow long again. Scott Hall stood on the other side of Kevin and beside him was a beaming Evan, a young man growing into a heart throb. Stephanie and Vera Morgan shared the responsibilities of maid of honor.

Therese had wanted everything as simple as possible and Kevin wanted a massive Catholic wedding, which ended in a slightly uneven compromise. The bride had only two attendants and the decorations were simple and yet beautiful but the groom called for a long guest list, a formal dinner, and an extended honeymoon in the Caribbean before they returned to the place they had called home for almost a year in Atlanta.

When the priest called for prayer, Stephanie stole a glance at John Cena, who was sitting in the second row. He was dressed in dark suit, something Stephanie had never seen him wear before. The man was good for her and she knew it. While she was Miss Prim and Proper, he was laid back, spontaneous, and exciting…and beginning to rub off on her. She was the first to tell him she loved him and he returned the sentiment. He wasn't after her for her power or position, especially since his confession came after she had lost to her father in the "I quit" match.

The bout no longer mattered because she had recently bounced back by fighting her way into being co-GM of RAW and she lived to torture Eric Bischoff as she whipped RAW back into shape. Paul Heyman now successfully controlled SmackDown! and was doing a great job of making her father's life hell. Vince was not present at the wedding but Linda, Shane, and Marissa had come, along with the first grandbaby. Stephanie smiled proudly as she gazed at them and almost missed her cue to take Evan's arm as they recessed down the main aisle behind the newly married couple.

FINI!

**

* * *

Author's Notes:** It's finally over! sigh For those who are still reading, thank you for sticking around this far. It has definitely been a trip! 

After the reviews from last chapter, it seems I should have just foregone the first ending and went with this one! I got such a great response from everyone.


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